Ossian Collection > Fingal, an ancient epic poem

154 C A R T H O N:
O THOU that rolled above *, round as the
fhield of my fathers ! Whence are thy beams, O
fun ! thy everlafting Hght ? Thou comefl forth,
in thy awful beauty, and the flars hide themfelves
in the fky ; the moon, cold and pale, finks in the
weftern wave. But thou thyfelf movefl alone :
\\'ho can be a companion of thy courfe ! The oaks
»oi' the mountains fall : the mountains themfelves
decay with years ; the ocean Ihrinks and grows a-
gain : the moon herfelf is lofl in heaven ; but thou
art for ever the iame ; rejoicing in the brightnefs of
thy courfe. When the world is dark with tempeflsj
Vv^hen thundtr ruUs, and lightning flies ; thou look-
<iL in thy beauty, from the clouds, and laughell
at the ilorm. But to Oflian, thou looked in vain;
for he beholds thy beams no more ; v/hether thy
yello'^' luir fiov/s on the callern clouds, or thou
trembled at the gates of the weft. But thou art
perhaps, like me, for a feafon, and thy years will
have an end. Thou (halt fleep in thy clouds, carc-
ki"s of the voice of the morning, — Exult then, O
ftm, in the llrength of thy youth ! Age is dark and
unlovely ; it is like the glimmering light of the
mccMi t, when it (liines through broken clouds,
and
* This pafiage is foniething fimilar to Satan's addrefs
to the Sun, in tht forrth book of Paradiie Loii
O thou that wiih furpalFing glory crown'd,
Lookft from thy fo!e dominion like the god
Of this new world ; at whofe light all the liars
Hide their diminiihd heads j to thee I call,
But with no friendly voice, and add thy name
OCjnl
-f ^ale per in cert am lunamfuh luce maligna
T fl iter in filruis ; ubi calum condidit umbra
Jut iter, is' rebui mx abftuiit atr/f cokrem. Virg.
Thus