Ossian Collection > Poems of Ossian, the son of Fingal

T E M O R A
AN
EPIC POEM.
THE ARGUMENT.
This book opens with a fpeecli of Fingal, who fees Cathmor defcending to the affiftance of his flying
army. The king dlfpatches Ortian to the relief of Fillan. He himfelf retires behind the rock of Cnr-
iriul, to avoid the fight of the engagement between his fon and Cathmor. Offian advances. The
defcent of Cathmor defcribed. He rallies the army, renews the battle, and, before Olhan could ar-
rive, engages Fillan Iiimfelf. Upon the approach of OfJlan, the combat between the two heroes
ccafes. 0(Ti an and Cathmor prepare to fight, but night coming on prevents them. O.Tian returns
to the place where Cathmor and Fillan fought. He finds Fillan mortally wounded, and leaning a-
gainft a rock. Their difcourfe. Fillan dies : his body is laid, by Oiriaii, in a neighbouring cave.
, The Caledonian army return to Fingal. He queftions them about his fon, and underftanding that
he was lulled, retires, in lilencc, to the rock of Cormul. Upon the retreat of the army of Fingal,
the Fir-bolg advance, Cathmor finds Bran, one of the dogs of Fingal, lying on the /hield of HUan,
before the entrance of the cave, where the body of that hero lay. His reflections thereupon. He
returns, in a melancholy mood, to his army. Malthos endeavours to comfort liim, by the example
of his father Borbar-duthul. Cathmor retires to reft. The fong of Sul-malla concludes the book,
which ends about the middle of the third night, from, the opening of the poem.
BOOK VI.
V^ATHMOR rifes on his echoing hill ! Shall Fingal take
the fv/ord of Luno ? But what iliould become of thy fame,
fon of white-bofomed Clatho ? Turn not thine eyes from
Fingal, daughter of Inilfore. I fliall not quench thy ear-
ly beam ; it fliines along my foul. But rife, O wood-
fkirted Mora, rife between the war and me ! Why fliould
Fingal behold the ltrife,lell his dark-haired warrior fliould
fall I Amidft the fong, O Carril, pour the found of the
trembling harp : here are the voices of rocks, and bright
tumbling of waters. Father of Ofcar lift the fpcar ; de-
fend the young in arms. Conceal thy fteps from Fillan's-
eyes. He muft not know that I doubt his ileel. No cloud
of mine fliall rife, my fon, upon thy foul of fire I"
He funk behind his rock, amidft the found of Carril's
fong. Brightening, in my growing foul, I took the fpear
of Temora*. I faw, along Moi-lena, the wild tumbhng
of battle, the ftrife of death, in gleaming rows, disjoin-
ed
• l^c fpear ofTemora was that which Ofcar had received, in a prefent, from
Cormac, tlie fon of Artho, king of Ireland. It was of it that Cairbar made the
pretext for quarrelling with Ofcar, at the feaft, in the firft book.