Ossian Collection > Poems of Ossian, the son of Fingal

T E M O R A
AN
EPIC POEM.
THE ARGUMENT.
Tliis book begins, about the middle of the third night from the opening of the poem. The poet de-
fcribes a kind of mift, which rofe, by night, from the lake of Lego, and was the ufual refidence of
the fouls of the dead, during the inttrval between their deceafe and the funeral fong. The appear-
ance of the ghoft of Fillan above the cave where his body lay. His voice comes to Fingal, on th^
rock of Cornuil. The king Ilrikes the fhield of Trenmor, which was an infallible fign of his appear-
ing in arms hinifelf. The extraordinary effecl of the found of the Ihield. Sul-malla, ftarting from
flcei>, awakes Cathnior. Their affefting difcourfe. She iniifts wltli him, to fue for peace ; he re-
folves to continue the war. He dir^ifls her to retire to the neighbouring valley of Lona, which was
the refidence of an old Druid, until the battle of the next day fliould be over. He awakes his army
with the found of his (hield. T\\e ihielJ dcfciibed. Fonar, the bard, at the defire of Cathmor, re-
lates the firft fettlemerit of the Fir-bolg in Ireland, under their leader Laithon. Monpng comes.
Sul-nialla retires to the valle)- of Lona. A lyric fon^ concludes the book.
BOOK VII.
t ROiM the wood-fkirted waters of Lego, afcend, at times,
gray-bofomed mifts, when the gates of the weft are clof-
ed on the fun's eagle-eye. Wide, over Lara's ftream, is
poured the vapour dark and deep : the moon, hke a dim
fliield, is fwimming through its folds. With this, clothe
the fpirits of old their fudden geftures on the wind, when
they Itride, from blaft to blaft, along the dufky face of
the night. Often blended with the gale, to fome war-
rior's grave* they roll the mill:, a gray dwelling to his
ghoft, until the fongs arife.
A found came from the defart ; the rulhing courfe of
Conar in winds. He poured his deep mift on Fillan, at
blue-winding Lubar. Dark and mournful fot the ghoft,
bending in his gray ridge of fmoke. The blaft, at times,
roiled him together : but the lovely form returned again-
It
* As the mill, which rofe from the lake of Lego, occafioned difeafes and death,
the bards feigned, as here, that it was the refidence of the gholls of the deceaf-
ed, during the interval between their death and the pronouncing of the funeral
eleg\-o^•er tiieir tombs ; for it was not allowable, without that ceremony was per-
formed, for the fpirits of the dead to mix with their auceftors, i/t their airy hallj.
It was the buijneis of the fpirit of the neareft relation to the deceafed, to take the
mill of Lego, and pour it over the grave. W^e find here Conar, the fon of Tren-
mcr, the firil king of Ireland, according to OlFian, performing this office for Fil-
lan, as it was in the caufe of the family of Conar, that that hero was killed.