Ossian Collection > Fingal

Book I. An E P I C P O E M. 3
art thou named, the Mighty Man, but many mighty men are iccn
from Tura's walls of wind. He anfwered, like a wave on a
rock, who in this land appears like me ? Heroes ftand not in my
prefence : they fall to earth beneath my hand. None can meet
Swaran in the fight but Fingal, king of ftormy hills. Once we
wreftled on the heath of Malmor *, and our heels overturned the
wood. Rocks fell from their place ; and rivulets, changing their
courfe, fled murmuring from our ftrife. Three days we renewed
our ftrife, and heroes ftood at a diftance and trembled. On the
fourth, Fingal fays, that the king of the ocean fell ; but Swaran
fays, he ftood. Let dark Cuchullin yield to him that is ftrong as
the ftorms of Malmor.
No : replied the blue-eyed chief, I will never yield to man.
Dark Cuchullin will be great or dead. Go, Fithil's fon, and take
my fpear : ftrike the founding fliield of Gabait -j-. It hangs at Tu-
ra's ruflling gate j the found of peace is not its voice. My heroes
fhall hear on the hill.
He went and ftruck the boffy fhield. The hills and their rocks
replied. The found fpread along the wood : deer ftart by the lake
of roes. Curach | leapt from the founding rock; and Connal of
the bloody fpear. Crugal's || breafl of fnow beats high. The fon
of Favi leaves the dark-brown hind. It is the fhield of war, faid
Ronnar, the fpear of Cuchullin, faid Lugar. Son of the fea put
* Meal-mor — a great bill, of his own Ihield in the 4th book. — \ horn
+ Cabait, or rather Cathbait, grandfather was the mod common inftrument to call
to the hero, was fo remarkable for his va- the army together before the invention of
lour, that his fhield was made ufe of to bagpipes.
alarm his pofterity to the battles of the fa- J Cu-raoch figniiies tJie madnefs of battle.
mily. We find Fingal making the fame ufe |j Q,t\x'Ca-7^zi.\—fair-compkxtoned.
B 2 on