Ossian Collection > Original collection of the poems of Ossian, Orrann, Ulin, and other bards, who flourished in the same age

A HEROIC POEM; 191
beral hero, of the greatest esteem, give us the tale
of Couull Gulbuin, the great, merry, cheerful,
warlike, magnanimous hero. The tale to thee I
shall recite, Patrick, if thou will listen to it; the
tale of the affectionate, meek, liberal, valiant Co-
null, of great fame.
On a day we were in the hall of the OUa ^, with
our strong, sweet-voiced, heroic army; it was said
that there was none to afflict us in the five provin-
ces of Erin. Thus we were until the evening,
and victorious words were in the mouths of our
youthful heroes, that there was not a combat for
one, or a score, or a hundred, of our Fingalians irj
the five provinces.
A swift ship was seen, fleetly making way on
the great ocean towards us, and on board was
one great, terrible, manly hero, like a brand of fire.
Dreadful was his appearance to the Fingalians;
to behold him like a shaking mountain, fierce
as on fire, dragging his ship to a haven. Near us,
upon a hill, he sat, the courageous, valiant, terri-
ble, tall, dreadful, champion; by his haughty
feats, he would frighten the birds in the firma-
ment: a hundred movements he would perform,
like a mountain speat in mighty torrents; like the
loud noise of thunder resounding against the
rocks; or as a stone tumbling down an awful cliC
Above them, his noise was heard, and beholdinj^
* Doctor, a learned raaii.