Ossian Collection > Poems of Ossian

52 r I N G A L. [Book II.
* Shall we not hear thee in the wintry storm,
* Or loudly sounding in the mountain stream ?'
Then soft-voicVl Connal, 'midst his rattling arms,
'Rose, and above CuchuUin struck his shield : 45
The son of battle instantly awoke : —
* Why, Connal, said the ruler of" the car,
* Approachest thou amidst the gloom of night ?
* My spear might rush upon thee at the sound,
' And give Cuchullin reason to lament 5d
* His bleeding friend. — Speak, Connal, Colgar's son :— .
* Speak : for thy counsel's like the mid-day sun.'
* Fam'd son of Semo,' then reply'd the chief,
* From his lone cave the ghost of Crugal camel
* The stars dim-twinkled thro' his shady form, 55
* And, like a distant stream, his voice I heard.
* He comes a messenger of certain death,
* And of the dark and narrow house he speaks I
* Sue, Dunscaich's chie*, fur peace, without delay,
' Or else, o'er Lena's heath directly liy' — 6(S)
Then said the hero : * He to Connal spoke,
* The' " stars dim-twinkled thro' his sh-.;dy form!"
* Thy vision, sonofColgar, was the wind,
* That gave in Lena's caves a murm'ring sound;
* Or, if the form of Crugal, why not then G».
* Enforce him to my sight? Didst thou enquire
' The lonely cave, where rests the son of wind ?
' T/ial voice I might discover by my sword,
* And all his knowledge force him to declare: — .
* But small must be that knowledge! — for to-day 7^
* Here, Connal, he was present. — Farther than
* Our hills he can't have gone as yet; who there
* Our ucur iipprouchiug death to him can tell I