Ossian Collection > Fingal

Book I. AnEPICPOEM. 13
on fteel, helmets are cleft on high. Blood burfts and fmoaks
around. Strings murmur on the polifhed yews. Darts rufli
along the fky. Spears fall like the circles of light that gild the
ftormy face of the night.
As the troubled noife of the ocean when roll the waves on high ;
as the laft peal of the thunder of heaven, fuch is the noife of battle.
Though Cormac's hundred bards were there to give the war to fong j
feeble were the voices of a hundred bards to fend the deaths to future
times. For many were the falls of the heroes ; and wide poured
the blood of the valiant..
Mourn, ye fons of the fong, the death of the noble Sithallin*..
Let the fighs of Fiona rife on the dark heaths of her lovely
Ardan. They fell, like two hinds of the defart, by the hands of
the mighty Swaran ; when, in the midft of thoufands he roared ;.
like the fhrill fpirit of a ftorm, that fits dim, on the clouds of Gor-
mal, and enjoys the death of the mariner.
Nor flept thy hand by thy fide, chief of the ifle of mlfl: -f; many
were the deatlis of thine arm, Cuchullin, thou fon of Semo. His
fword was like the beam of heaven when it pierces the fons of the
vale } when the people are blafted and fall, and all the hills are
With ftreaming blood the flipp'ry fields Horrible difcord, and the madding wheels
are dy'd, Of brazen chariots rag'd, &c.
And flaiighter'd heroes fwell the dreadful Milton.
tide. Pope. * Siihallin fignifies a handfome mjn^-~
Statius has very happily imitated Homer. Fiona, a fair maid; — and Ardan, ptide.
Jam clypeus d\peis,umhone rcpellitur umbo, f The 'Ifle of Sky ; not improperly cal-
Enfe minax enj-s, pede pes, (3" cufpide led the ijle of mijl, as its high hills, which
cufpii, (sfc, catch the clouds from the weftern ocean,
Arms on armour crafliing, bray'd occafion almo-ft continual rains.
8 burning