Ossian Collection > Fingal

14 F I N G A L, Book I.
burning around. Dufronnal * fnnrted over the bodies of heroes ;
and Sifadda -f- bathed his hoof in blood. The battle lay behind
them as groves overturned on the defart of Cromlaj when the blaft
has palled the heath laden with the fpirits of night.
Weep on the rocks of roaring winds, O maid of Inifbore :|:,
bend thy fair head over the waves, thou fairer than the ghofl of the
hills J when it moves in a fun-beam at noon over the filence of
Morven. He is fallen ! thy youth is low ; pale beneath the fword
of Cuchullin. No more fliall valour raife the youth to match the
blood of kings. Trenar, lovely Trenar died, thou maid of Inif-
tore. His gray dogs are howling at home, and fee his paffing
ghoft. His bow is in the hall unftrung. No found is in the heath
of his hinds.
As roll a thoufand waves to the rocks, fo Swaran's hod: came on ;
as meets a rock a thoufand waves, fo Inisfail met Swaran. Death
raifes all his voices around, and mixes with the found of fliields.-^
Each hero is a pillar of darknefs, and the fword a beam of fire in
his hand. The field ecchoes from wing to wing, as a hundred ham-
mers that rife by turns on the red fon of the furnace. Who are
thefe on Lena's heath that are fo gloomy and dark ? Who are thefe
* One of Cuchullin's horfes. Dubh- nar are fenfible at home of the death of
flron ghcal. their mafter, the very inftant he is killed.
•)- Siih-fadda, \, e. a hngJliicL\ It was the opinion of the times, that
\ The maid of Inijiore was the daugliter the fouls of heroes went immediately after
of Gorlo king of Iniftore or Orkney iflands. death to the hills of their country, and
Trenar was brother to the king of Inif- the fcenes they frequented the moft happy
con, fuppofed to be one of the iflands of time of their life. It was thought too that
Shetland. The Orkneys and Shetland dogs and horfes faw the ghoflj of the de-
were at that time fubjed to the king of ceafed,
iochlin. We find that the dogs of T:e-
like