Ossian Collection > Fingal

262 BERRATHON:
Uthal. But the memory * of his actions rofe before the king, and
he fent his fon and Tofcar. Our joy was great on the rolhng fea j
and we often half-unflieathed our fwords f. For never before had
we fought alone, in the battles of the fpear. Night came down on
the ocean ; the winds departed on their wings. Cold and pale is
the moon. The red ftars lift their heads. Our courfe is flow
along the coaft of Berrathon j the white waves tumble on the rocks.
What voice is tliat, faid Tofcar, which comes between the
founds of the waves ? It is foft but mournful, like the voice of de-
parted bards. But I behold the maid ij:, flie fits on the rock alone.
Her head bends on her arm of fnow ; her dark hair is in the wind.
Hear, fon of Fingal, her fong, it is fmooth as the gliding waters of
Lavath, — We cam.e to the filent bay, and heard the maid of night.
How lono- will ye roll around me, blue-tumbling waters of ocean ?
My dwelling was not always in caves, nor beneath the whiftling
tree. The feafl was fpread in Torthoma's hall j my father delight-
ed in mv voice. The youths beheld me in the fteps of my loveli-
nefs, and they blelTed the dark-haired Nina-thoma. It was then
thou didll come, O Uthal ! like the fun of heaven. The fouls of
* The meaning of the poet is, that Fin- remarkable ; and his humanity to Nina-
gal remembered his own great aciions, thoma would grace a hero of our own po-
and confequfntly would not fully them by lifhed age. Though Oflian pafles over
ensat^ini^ in a petty war againft Uthal, his own a£lions in filence, or flightly men-
who was fo far his inferior in valour and tions them ; tradition has done ample ju-
^^,g^_ ftice to his martial fame, and perhaps has
+ The impatience of a young warrior, exag^eraied the actions oi the poet beyond
goins on their firft expedition, is well 'he bounds ofcredibility.
marked by their hali-drawing thiir fw<;rds. X Nina-thoma the daughter of Tor-
The modeftv of Oflian, in his narration of th6;na, wh.. bad been confined to a defart
a flory which does him fo much honour, is idand by her lover Uthal.
the