Ossian Collection > Fingal

128 C A R T H O N:
and fliakes Its white head In the breeze. The thiftle is there alone,
and fhades its aged beard. Two ftones, half funk in the ground,
(hew their heads of niofs. The deer of the mountain avoids ths
place, for he beholds the gray ghoft that guards it * : for the mighty
lie, O Malvina, in the narrow plain of the rock. A tale of the
times of old ! the deeds of days of other years !
Who comes from the land of Grangers, with his thoufands around
him ? the fun-beam pours its bright ftream before him ; and his hair
meets the wind of his hills. His face is fettled from war. He is
calm as the evening beam that looks, from the cloud of the weft, on
Cona's filent vale. Who Is it but Comhal's fon -f-, the king of
mighty deeds ! He beholds his hills with joy, and bids a thoufand
voices rife. Ye have fled over your fields, ye fons of the diftant
land ! The king of the world fits In his hall, and hears of his people's
flight. He lifts his red eye of pride, and takes his father's fword.
Ye have fled over your fields, fons of the diftant land !
of his expeditions agalnft the Britons, took opens on the night preceding the death of
and burnt Balclutha. Reuthamir was ki!- Carthon, fo that what pafTed before is in-
Jed in the attack : and Carthon was carried troduced by way of epifode. The poem is
Uk away by his nurfe, who fled farther addrefled to Malvina the daughter of Tof-
into the country of the Britons. Carthon, car.
coming to maa's eftate was refolvcd to re- * It was the opinion of the times, that
venge the fall of Balclutha on Comhal's deer faw the ghofts of the dead. To this
pofterity. He fet fail, from the Clyde, day, when beads fuddenly flart without any
and, falling on the coaft of Morven, de- apparent caufe, the vulgar think that they
feated two of Fingal's heroes, who came to fee the fpirits of the deceafed.
oppofe his progrefs. He was, at laft, un- f Fingal returns here, from an expedi-
wittingly killed by his father Clefsammor, tion againfl the Romans, which was cei'e»
in a fingle combat. This flory is the brated by Oflian in a poem called the Jirifi
fourjdatioa of ti.e prefcnt poem, which cf Cronj,
Such