Ossian Collection > Poems of Ossian, the son of Fingal > Volume 1

Book T. AN EPIC POEM. II
Fly, king of ocecin, fly ; lie comes, like a storm along
the streamy vale."
" When did I lly," replied die king, " from the bat-
tle of many spears ? When did I fly, son of Arno, chief
of die litde soul ? I met tlie storm of Gormal when the
fqam of my waves was high ; I met the storm of the
clouds, and. shall I fly from a hero i Were it Fingal him-
self, my soul should not darken before liim. — Rise to the
battle, my thousands ; pour round me like the echoing
main. Gather round the bright steel of your king ;
strong as die rocks of my land, that meet the storm
with joy, and stretch their dark woods to the wind."
As autumn's ^ dark storms pour from two echoing
hills, towards each other approached die heroes. — As
two dark streams from high rocks meet, and mix and
roar on the plain ; loud, rough and dark in battle meet
Lochlin and Innis-fail. Chief mixes his strokes with
chief, and man with man ; steel, clanging sounded on
steel, helmets are cleft on high. Blood bursts and smokes
around. Strings twang on the polished yev/s. Darts
rush along the sky. Spears fall like the circles of light
that gild the stormy face of night.
As the troubled noise of die ocean when roll the waves
on high : as the last peal of the thunder of heaven, such
is the noise of batde. Though Cormac's hundi'ed bards
were there to give the war to song ; feeble v/ere the
voices of an hundred bards to send the deatlis to future
times. For many were the fails of the heroes ; and
wide poured the blood of the valiant.
f Tl'.e reader m.iy compare this passage with a similar one in Ha-
rrier. Iliad 4. V. 445.
Now shield with shield, with helmet helmet clos'd.
To aniiour armour, lance to lance oppos'd.
Host against host with shadowy sqiudrons drew,
'1 he soumlirig darts in iron tempe ts flew.
With streaiiiii'g blood the slipp'ry fields are dy'd.
And ilau^jliter'd heroes swell the dreadful tide. POPE.
Arms to armour crashing, brav'd
Knrrible discord, ar.d the m.uidi:'.^ wl:cc's
Of bTAZiU char.ots r.ig'A, &c. MILTON,