Ossian Collection > Poems of Ossian > Volume 3

332 THE DEATH OF CUTIIULLIN:
learned to bend the bow of his fathers ; and to
lift the spear. Nor long didst thou lift the
spear, mildly-shining beam of youth ! death
stands dim behind thee, like the darkened half
of the moon, behind its growing light ! Cuthul-
lin rose before the bard *, that came from gene-
rous Torlath. He oftered him the shell of joy.
lie honoured the son of songs. " Sweet voice
of Lego!" he said, " what are the words of
Torlath ? Comes he to our feast or battle, tlie
car-borne son of Can tela f ?"
*' He comes to thy battle," replied the bard,
'' to the sounding strife of spears. When morn-
ing is grey on Lego, Torlath will fight on the
plain. Wilt thou meet him, in thine arms, king
of the isle of mist ? Terrible is the spear of Tor-
lath ! it is a meteor of night. He lifts it, and
* The bards were the heralds of ancient times ; and
their persons were sacred on account of their office. In
latter times they abused that privilege : and as their
persons were inviolable, they satirized and lampooned
so freely those who were not liked by their patrons,
that they became a public nuisance. Screened under
the character of heralds, they grossly abused the enemy
when he would not accept the terms they oftered.
t Cean-teola', luad of a family.