Ossian Collection > Fingal

i6 F I N G A L, Book I.
Old Carril went, with fofteft voice, and called the king of
dark-brown fhields. Rife from the iTcins of thy chace, rife,
Swaran king of groves. Cuchullin gives the ioy of fliells ; par-
take the feaft of Erin's blue-eyed chief. He anfwered like the
fullen found of Cromla before a ftorm. Though all thy daugh-
ters, Inisfail ! fhould extend their arms of fnow ; raife high the
heavings of their breafts, and foftly roll their eyes of love ; yet, fix-
ed as Lochlin's thoufand rocks, here Swaran fhall remain; till
morn, with the young beams of my eaft, fhall light me to the
death of Cuchullin. Pleafant to my ear is Lochlin's wind. It ruflies
over my feas. It fpeaks aloft in all my llirowds, and brings my
green forefls to my mind ; the green forefts of Gormal that of-
ten ecchoed to my winds, when my fpear was red in the chace of
the boar. Let dark Cuchullin yield to me the ancient throne of
Cormac, or Erin's torrents fliall fhew from their hills the red foam
of the blood of his pride.
Sad is the founds of Swaran's voice, faid Carril of other times:—
Sad to himfelf alone, faid the blue-eyed fon of Semo. But, Car-
ril, raife thy voice on high, and tell the deeds of other times. Send
thou the night away in fong ; and give the joy of grief. For many
heroes and maids of love, have moved on Inis-fail. And lovely are
the fongs of woe that are heard on Albion's rocks ; when the noife
of die chace is over, and the ftreams of Cona anfwer to the voice
of Oflian *.
* Offian the fon of Fingal and author of fmall river that runs through Glenco in-
the poem. One cannot but admire the ad- Argylefliire. One of the hills which environ
drefs of the poet in putting his own praife that romantic valley is fiill called Scorna-
fo naturally into the mouth of Cuchullin. fena, or the hill of Fingal's people.
The Con^ here mentioned is perhaps that
In