Blair Collection > Popular tales of the West Highlands > Volume 4

2 I O GAELIC POETRY OF KNOWN AND UNKNOWN BARDS,
fer the barren heaths, foaming cataracts, and rugged
mountains of the Highlands to the fairest lands on
wliich the sun shines.
In following the long list of Scoto-Gaelic bards
from the present day to the author of " A Chomliachag "
(The Owl), we find the spirit of this poetry uniform and
unaltered. From Macintyre's " Coire cheathaich "
(the Corry of Mist), to " A Chomliachag " (The Owl), it
is very much the same in character. The following
quotation from " The Owl " will illustrate what has
been said : —
" Creag mo chridhe 's a' chreag ghuanach,
Chreag an d' fhuair mi greis de m' arach ;
Creag nan aighean 's nan damh siubhlach ;
A' chreag urail, aighearach, ianach.
Chreag mu'n iathadh an ihaoghait ;
Bu mliiann leam a bhi ga taghal,
Nuair bu bhinn guth gallain gaodhair
A' cur graidh gu gabhail chumliainn,
'S binn na h-iolairean mu 'bruachan ;
'S binn a cuachan, 's binn a h-eala ;
A's binne na sin am blaoghan
IS^i an laoghan meana-bhreac, ballach."
Crag of my heart, the lightsome rock,
The rock where I was partly reared ;
Eock of the hinds and roving stags ;
Eock that is verdant, and gay with birds.