Ossian Collection > Poems of Ossian, the son of Fingal

134 dar-thula:
He went. She fat alone and heard the rolling of the
wave. The big tear is in her eye ; and flie looks for the
car-borne Nathos. Her foul trembles at the blaft. And
fhe turns her ear towards the tread of his feet. The tread
of his feet is not heard. " Where art thou, fon of
my love I The roar of the blaft is around me. Dark is
the cloudy night. But Nathos does not return. What
detains thee, chief of Etha ? Have the foes met the hero
in the ilrife of the night !"
He returned, but his face was dark : he had feen his
departed friend. It was the wall of Tura, and the ghoft
of Cuchullin ftalked there. The lighing of his breaft was
frequent ; and the decayed flame of his eyes terrible.
His fpear was a column of mill : the liars looked dim
through his form. His voice was like hollow wind in a
cave : and he told the tale of grief. The foul of Nathos
was fad, hke the fun in the day of mill, when his face is
watry and dim.
*' Why art thou fad, O Nathos ?" faid the lovely daugh-
ter of Coila. " Thou art a pillar of hght to Dar-thula :
the joy of her eyes is in Etha's chief. Where is my friend,
but Nathos? My father refls in the tomb. Silence dwells
en Selama : fadnefs fpreads on the blue ftreams of my
land. My friends have fallen, withCormac. The migh-
ty were flain in the battle of UJlin.
" Evening darkened on the plain. The blue ftreams
failed before mine eyes. The unfrequent blaft came
rufthng in the tops of Selama's groves. My feat was be-
neath a tree on the walls of my fathers. Truthil paft be-
fore my foul ; the brother of my love ; he that was ab-
fent* in battle againft the car-borne Cairbar. Bending
on his fpear, the gray-haired Colla came : his downcait
face is dark, and forrow dwells in his foul. His fword is
on the lide of the hero: the helmet of his fathers on his
head. The battle grows in his breaft. He ftrives to hide
the tear.
" Dar-thula," he fighing faid, " thou art the laft of
Colla's race. Truthil is fallen in battle. The kingf of
Selama
• The family of Colla preferveJ their loyalty toCormac long after the death of
CuchiiUin.
t It is very common, in Odian's poetry, to give the title of king to every chief
that was remarkable for his valour.