Ossian Collection > Poems of Ossian

3Book in.
" "r)LEASANT are the words of the song," said
JL Cuthullin ! "lovely the tales of other times!
They are like the calm dew of the morning on the hill of
roes ; when the sun is faint on its side, and the lake is
settled and blue in the vale. O Carril, raise again thy
voice ! let me hear the song of Selma : which was sung
in my halls of joy, when Fingal king of shields was
there, and glowed at the deeds of his fathers."
"Fingal ! thou dweller of battle," said Carril, "early
were thy deeds in arms. Lochlin was consumed in thy
wrath, when thy youth strove with the beauty of maids.
They smiled at the fair-blooming face of the hero ; but
death was in his hands. He was strong as the waters of
Lora. His followers were the roar of a thousand
streams. They took the king of Lochlin in war ; they
restored him to his ships. His big heart swelled with
pride ; the death of the youth was dark in his soul. For
none ever, but Fingal, had overcome the strength of the
mighty Starno. He sat in the hall of his shells in
Lochlin's woody land. He called the grey-haired
Snivan, that often sung round the circle* of Loda :
*This passage most certainly alludes to the religion of
Lochlin, and the stone of power here mentioned is the image of
one of the deities of Scandinavia.