Ossian Collection > Fingal, an ancient epic poem

A POEM. 217
<]ii1ant thunder. Fingal advanced with the fpear
of his ftrength, and raifed his voice on high.
Son of night, retire: call thy winds and fly?
Why doft thou come to my prefence, with thy
fhadowy arms ? Do I fear thy gloomy form,
difmal fplrit of Loda ? Weak is thy fhield of
clouds : feeble is that meteor, thy fword. The
blaft rolls them together ; and thou thyfelf dofi:
vaniHi. Fly from my prefence, fon of night ! call
thy winds and fly !
Dost thou force me from my place, replied
the hollow voice ? The people bend before me.
I turn the battle in the field of the valiant. I
look on the nations and they vanifli : my noflrils
pour the blafl: of death. I come * abroad on the
winds : the ttmpefts are before my face. But my
dwelling is calm, above the clouds, the fields of
my refl are pleafant.
Dwell then in thy calm field?, faid F'ngal,
and let Comhal's fon be forgot. Do my fteps
afcend, from my hills, into thy peaceful plains ?
Do I meet thee with a fpear, on thy cloud, fpirit
of difmal Loda? Why then doll: thou frown on
Fingal ? or fhake thine airy fpear ? But thou
frownefl in vain: I never fled from mighty men.
And fhall the fons of the wind frighten the king
of Morven ? No : he knows the weaknefs of their
* There is a great refemblance between the ter-
rors of this mock divinity, and thofe of the trueGod,
as they are defcribed in the 1 8th Pfalm.
L Fr.T