Ossian Collection > Poems of Ossian > Volume 3

CN THE POEMS OF OSSIAN; 22 1
When Fingal, after having conquered t^e
haughty Swaran, propofes to dilraifs hivd
with honour : "Raife to-morrow thy white
*' fails to the wind, thou brother of A-
*' gandecca !" He conveys, by thus ad-
dreffing his enemy, a ftronger imprefTioii
of the emotions then pafling within his
mind, than if whole paragraphs had been
fpent in defcribing the conflift between re-
fentmein againli Swaran and the tender re-
membrance of his ancient love. No am-
plification is needed to give us the moil
full idea of a hardy veteran, after the few
following words : " His fhield is tnarked
*' with the ftrokes of battle j his red eye
*' defpifes danger." When Ofcar, left a-
lone, was furrounded by foes, " he ftood,"^
it is faid, " growing in his place, like the
^* flood of the narrow vale ," a happy re-
prefentation of one, who, by daring intre-
pidity in the midll of danger, feeras to'
increafe In his appearance, and becomes'
more formidable every moment, tike the
fudden rifing of the torrent hemmed in by
the valley. And a whole crowd of ideas,
concerning the circumftances of domeftic
forrow occafio-ned by a young warrror's finl
going forth to battle, is poured upon the
mind by thefe words : ** Calmar leaned
*' on his father's fpear : that fpear which
** he brought from Lara's hall, when th^
*' foul of his mother was fad." .