Ossian Collection > Fingal

210 Ti! E SONGS OF S E L M A.
And it does arife in its ftrength ! I behold my departed friends.
Their gathering is r,u Lora, as in the days that are paft. Fingal
comes Hke a watry column of mift j his heroes are around. And
fee the bards of the fong, gray-haired Ullin; ftately Ryno ; Alpin *,
with the tuneful voice, and the foft complaint of Minona ! How
are ye changed, my friends, fince the days of Selma's feaft ! when
we contended, like the gales of the fpring, that, flying over the hill,
by turns bena the feebly-whiftling grafs.
Minona -f- came forth in her beauty; with down-cafl: look and
tearful eye ; her hair flew flowly on the blafl: that ruflied unfrequent
from the hill. The fouls of the heroes were fad when fhe raifed
the tuneful voice ; for often had they feen the grave of Salgar J, and
the dark dwelling of white-bofomed Colma (|. Colma left alone on
the hill, \vith all her voice of mufic ! Salgar promifed to come :
but the night defcended round. — Hear the voice of Colma, when fhe
£it alone on the hill !
Colma.
It is night; — I am alone, forlorn on the hill of ftorms. The
nind is heard in the mountain. The torrent flirieks down the rock.
No hut receives me from the rain ; forlorn on the hill of winds.
* Alpin is from the fame root with Al- from the natives painting themfelves, or
bion, or rather Albin, the ancient name of from their party-coloured cloaths.
Britain; Alp, high InlnrJ, or country. The t Oflian introduces Minona, not in the
prefent name of our iHand has its origin in ideal fcene in his own mind, which he had
the Celtic tongue ; fo that thofe who de- defcribed ; but at the annual feaft of Selma,
rived it from any other, betrayed their ig- where the bards repeated their works be-
norance of the ancient language of our fore Fingal.
counuy .——Breac't in, variegated ijland, % Sealg-'er, a hunter,
fo called from the face of the country, \ Cul-math, a vjoman -Mth fine hair,
4. Rise