Ossian Collection > Poems of Ossian, the son of Fingal

THE
DEATH OF CUCHULLIN:
A POEM.
THE ARGUMENT.
Arth, the Ton of Cairbre, fupreme king of Irelnnt!, d> ing, w as fucceeded by his Ton Corm,-5c, a minor.
Cuchiillin, the foil of Semo, »ho had rendered hinifelf famous by his great actions, and who re-
fided, at tlie time, with Coiin:d, the fon cf Caithbat, inUlIbrr, was elected regent. In the twen-
<>-feveiith vear of CuchuUiii's age, and tlie thrid of his adiiiir.iitratioii, Torln/th, the fon of Caiitv»-
1.1, one of the chiefs of that colony of Belgae, M'lio were in jxiflefiion of the fouth of Ire-land, re-
lelltd in Coraiaught, and advajiced towarus Temora, in order to dethione Cormac, who, except-
ing Feradath, afterwards king cf Ireland, was the only one of the Scottifh race of kings exiibng in
that country. Cuchullin marched ;\gainft him, came up witli him at the hike of Lego, and totally
defeated his forces. Torlath fell in the battle by Cuchullin's hand ; but us he hinifelf preffcd too
eagerly O'l the flying enemy, he was mortally wounried by an arrow, and died the focond day af-
ter. The good fortune of Cormac fell with Cuchullin : many fet up for themfclves, and anarchy
and confufioii reigned. At l,:ft Cormac was taken oft"; and Cairbar, lord of Ataia, one of the com-
j^etitors for the throne, having defeated all his rivals, becairic fole monarch of Ireland. Tiie fa-
r-iily of Fingal, who were in the L-.tereft of Coi'mac's family, v/ere rcfolved to deprive Cairbar of
the throne he had ulurped. Fingal arrived from Scotlsmd witli an army, defeated the friends of
Cairbar, antl re-eftublifned the family of Cx>rinac in the ponViTion of the kingdom. The prefent
poem concerns the deatli of Cuchidlin. It is, in the oiiginal, called Diuin loch Leiga, i. e. 27^
Poem ofLcgd'i Lake, and is an epifode introduced in a great jocm, \\ hich celebrated the laft expf-
clition of Fingal into Ireland. Tlie greateft part of the poem is loft, and notiiing remains but fome
epifodes, wliich a few old people in the north of Scotlvmd rctiin on memory.
Is the wind on Fingal's fliield? Or is the voice of paft
times in my hall ? Sing on, fvveet voice, for thou are plea-
fant, and carrieft away my night with joy. Sing on, O
Bragela, daughter of car-borne Songlan .''
" It is the white wave of the rock, and not Cuchullin's
fails. Often do the mills deceive me for the fliip of my
love I when they rife round fome ghoft, and fpread their
gray Ikirts on the wind. Why dolt thou delay thy com-
ing, fon of the generous Semo ? Four times has autumn
returned with its winds, and raifed the feas of Togorma*,
iince thou hail been in the roar of battles, and Bragela
dillant far. Hills of the ifle of mill ! when will ye anfvver
to his hounds ? But ye are dark in your clouds, and fad
Bragela
Q.ij
• Togorma. i. e. the ijlani of blue waves, one of the Hebrides, was fubjed to
Connal, the fon of Caithbat, Cuchullin's friend. He is fometimes called the Ion
of Colgar, from one of that name who was the founder of the family. Connal,
a few days before the news of Torlath's revolt came to Temora, had failed to
Togorma, his native ifle; where he was detained by contrary winds during the
war in which Cuchullin was killed-