Ossian Collection > Poems of Ossian, the son of Fingal

1^6 temora: Book VIL
" Nor rofe the rage of Son-mor, but his days were dark
and flow. Sul-aUin wandered, by her gray ftreams, with
her tearful eyes. Often did fhe look, on the hero, when
he was folded in his thoughts. But Ihe flirunk from his
eyes, and turned her lone Heps away. Battles rofe, like
a tempeft, and drove the mift from his foul. He beheld,
with joy, her fteps in the hall, and the white rifing of her
hands on the harp.
In * his arms ftrode the chief of Atha, to where his
iliield hung, high, in night : high on a mofly bough, over
Lubar's flreamy roar. Seven bofles rofe on the fliield ; the
feven voices of the king, which his warriors received, from
the wind, and marked over all their tribes.
On each bofs is placed a liar ©f night; Canmathon with
beams unfhorn ; Col-derna riling from a cloud : Uloicho
robed in milt ; and the foft beam of Cathlin glittering on
a rock. Fair-gleaming on its own blue wave, Reldurath
half-finks its weltern light. The red eye of Berthin looks,
through a grove, on the flow-moving hunter, as he re-
turns, through Ihowery night, with the fpoilsof the bound-
ing roe. V/ide in the midlt, arofe the cloudlefs beams
of Ton-thena ; Ton-thena which looked, by night, on
the courfe of the fea-toifed Larthon: Larthon, the firfl
of Bolga's race, who travelled on the winds f. White-
bofomed fpread the fails of the king, towards llreamy
Inis-fail; dun night was rolled before him, with its fkirts
of mift. The winds were changeful in heaven, and roll-
ed him from wave to wave. Then rofe the fiery-haired
Ton-thena, and laughed from her parted cloud. Lar-
thon J rejoiced at the guiding beam, as it faint-gleamed
on the tumbling waters.
Beneath
• To avoid multiplying notes, 1 fnall give here the fignification of the names
of the ftars engraved on the ihield. <L<tz.\\-r(\-iX\iox\, head of the hear. Col-derna,
Jlant and fjarp beam. \J\-o\cho, ruler of night. Cathlin, beam of the ivave Reu-
ilMXTith, Jiar of the tnvilight. Berthin, /ire of the hill. Tonthena, meteor of the
'-.raves. Thefe etymologies, excepting that of Cean-raathon, are pretty exact. Of
it I am not lb certain ; for it is not very probable, that the Fii--bolg had diftinguifli'
ed a conllcllation, lb very early at the days of Larthon, by the name of the bear.
f To travel on the nvinds, a poetical expreflion for failing.
t Larthon is compounded of Lear, fea, and thou, wave. Tliis name was given
to the chief of the firft colory of the Fir-bolg, who fettled in Ireland, on account
of his knowledge in navigtition. A part of an old poem is Hill e.\tant, concern-
ing this hero. The author of it, probably, took the hint from the epifode in this-
book, relating to the iirft difccvery of Ireland by Larthon. It abounds with thofci
ramantic fables of giants and magicians, whicU diilinguilh the oompolitions of
tiie