Ossian Collection > Poems of Ossian

158 CRITICAL DISSERtAT/OM
fined to it. In subjects also of grace and deli-'
cacy, he discovers the hand of a master. Take
for an example the following elegant description
of Agandecca, wherein the tenderness of Ti-
bullus seems united with the majesty of Virgil.
* The daughter of the snow overheard, and left
the hall of her secret sigh. She came in all her
beauty ; like the moon from the cloud of the
east. Loveliness was around her as light. Her
steps were like the music of songs. She saw
the youth and loved him. He was the stolen
sigh of her soul. Her blue eyes rolled on him
in secret ; and she blest the chief of Morven.
Several other instances might be produced of
the feelings of love and friendship, painted by
our author with a most natural and happy de-
licacy.
The simplicity of Ossian's manner adds great
beauty to his descriptions, and indeed to his
whole poetry. We meet with no affected orna-
ments ; no forced refinement ; no marks either
in style or thought of a studied endeavour to
shine or sparkle. Ossian appears evejy whei'e
to be prompted by his feelings ; and to speak
from the abundance of his heart. I remember
no more than one instance of what may be call-
ed a quaint thought in this whole collection of
his works. It is in the first book of Fingal,
where, from the tombs of two lovers, two lonely
yews are mentioned to have sprung, ' whose
branches wished to meet on high.' This sym-
pathy of the trees with the lovers, may be reckon-
ed to border on an Italian conceit ; and it is
somewhat curious to find this single instance of
that sort of wit in our Celtic poetry.
'The joy of grief is one of Ossian's remarka-
ble expressions, several times repeated. If any
one shall think that it needs to be justified by a
precedent, he may find it twice used by Homer 5