Ossian Collection > Poems of Ossian

Temora. 857
wrath ? The foes of Fingal are mine. Speak or
fear my steel. I stand not, in vain, the shield of Mor-
ven's race." " Never mayest thou stand in vain,
son of blue-eyed Clatho ! Fingal begins to be alone.
Darkness gathers on the last of his days. Yet he has
two sons who ought to sliine in war ; who ought to
be two beams of light, near the steps of his departure."
" Son of Fingal," i-eplied the youth, "it is not
long since I raised the spear. Few are the marks
of my sword in war. But Fillan's soul is fire ! The
chiefs of Bolga* crowd around the shield of gener-
ous Cathmor. Their gathei-iug is on that heath.
Shall my steps approach their host ? I yielded to
Oscar alone, in the strife of the race, on Coua !"
"Fillan, thou shalt not approach their host; nor
fall before thy fame is known. My name is heard
in song: when needful, I advance. From the skirts
of night I shall view them over all their gleaming
tribes. Why, Fillan, didst thou speak of Oscar ?
Why awake my sigh ? I must forget the wan'ior,
till the storm is rolled away. Sadness ought not
to dwell in danger, nor the tear in the eye of war.
Our fathers forgot their fallen sons, till the noise of
arms was past. Then sorrow returned to the tomb,
and the song of bards arose. The memory of those
who fell, quickly followed the departure of war:
when the tumult of battle is past, the soul, in
silence, melts away for the dead.
' ' Conar was the brother of Trathal, first of mortal
men. His battles were on every coast. A thousand
streams rolled down the blood of his foes. His fame
filled green Erin, like a pleasant gale. The nations
gathered in UUin, and they blessed the king; the king
of the race of their fathers, from the land of Selma.
' • The chiefs of the south were gathered, in the
* The southern parts of Ireland went, for some time, under the name
of Bolga, from the Fir-bolg, or Belgae of Britain, who settled a colony-
there. ' Bolg' sifinifies ' a quiver,' from which proceeds ' Fir-bolg,' i. e.
' bovvTnen ;' so called from their using bows more than any of the neigh-
bouring nations.