Ossian Collection > Poems of Ossian, the son of Fingal

12 A DISSERTATION CONCERNING
This was long the opinion of the tranflator of the fol-
lowing collection; and though he admired the poems, in
the original, very early, and gathered part of them from
tradition for his own amufement, yet he never had the
fmalleft hopes of feeing them in an Englilh drefs. He
was fenfihle that the ilrength and manner of both lan-
guages were very different, and that it was next to impof-
iible to tranllate the Galic poetry into any thing of toler-
able Englilh verfe; a profe tranllation he could never
think of, as it muft neceflarily fall fliort of the majefty of
an original. It w^as a gentleman, who has himfelf made
a figure in the poetical world, that gave him the firil hint
concerning a hteral profe tranllation. He tried it at his
defire, and the fpecimen was approved. Other gentlemen
were earneft in exhorting him to bring more to the light,
and it is to their uncommon zeal that the world owes the
Gahc poems, if they have any merit.
It was at firfl intended to make a general colleclion of
all the ancient pieces of genius to be found in the Galic
language; but the tranflator had his leafons for confining
himfelf to the remains of the works of OlTian. The ac-
tion of the poem that ftands the firrt, was not tlie great-
eft or moft celebrated of the exploits of Fingal, His wars
were very numerous, and each of them afforded a theme
which employed the genius of his Ion. But, excepting
the prefent poem, thofe pieces are irrecoverably loft, and
there only remain a few fragments in the hands of the
tranflator. Tradition has ftiU preierved, in many places,
the ftory of the poems, and many now living have heard
them, in their youth, repeated.
The complete work, now printed, would, in a fliort
time, have fliared the fate of the reft. The genius of the
Highlanders has fuftered a greatjchange within thefe few
years. The communication with the reft of the iftand is
open, and the introduction of trade and manufadures has
deftroyed that leiiure which was formerly dedicated to
hearing and repeating the poems of ancient times. Many
have now learned to leave their mountains, and feek their
fortunes in a milder climate ; and though a certain cmior
patr'ue may fometimes bring them back, they have, du-
ring their abfence, imbibed enough of foreign manners
to