Ossian Collection > Poems of Ossian, the son of Fingal > Volume 2

A POEM. 25
But the winds deceive thee, O Dar-thuLi ; and deny
the woody Etiia to thy sails. These are not thy moun-
tains, Nathos, nor is that the roar of thy chmbing
waves ; the halls of Cairbar are near ; and the towers
of the foe lift their heads. UUin stretches its green
iiead into the sea ; and Tura's bay receives the ship.
Where have ye been, ye southern v/inds ! when the
sons of my love A\'ere deceived ? But ye have been sport-
ing on plains, and pursuing the thistle's beard. O that
ye had been rustling in the sails of Nathos, till the hills
of Etha rose ! till they rose in their clouds, and saw
their coming chief! Long hast thou been absent, Na-
thos ! and the day of thy return is past.
But the land of gtrangers saw thee lovely : thou wast
lovely in the eyes of Dar-thula. Thy face w^as like the
light of the morning, tliy hair like the raven's Vv'ing.
Thy soul was generous and mild, like the hour oi the
setting sun. Thy words v/ere the gale of the reeds, or
the gliding stream of Lora. But when the rage of bat-
tle rose, tliou wast like a sea in a storm ; the clang of
arms was terrible : the host vanis'ied at the sound of
thy course. It was then Dar-thula beheld thee from
tlie top of her mossy tower : from the tower of Sela-
ma f, where her fathers dwelt.
" Lovely art thou, O stranger !" she said, for her
trembling soul arose. " Fairartthouinthy battles, friend
of the fallen Cormac e ! Why dost diou rush on, in thy
valour, youth of the ruddy look : Few are thy hands
in battle, against the car-borne Cairbar ! O that I might
f The poet does not mean that Selama which is mentioned as the
seat of Toscar in Ulster, in the poem of Conlath and Cuthona 1 lie
word in the origin?.! Mgnities either beautiful to behold, or a place
vith a pleasant or wide prospect. In those times they hui'.t their
houses upon ei»inences, to command a view of the country, and tc;
prevent their being surprised : many of them, on tliat account, were
called Selama. The famous Selma of Fingal is derived from the
same roof.
g Cormac the voung f.r.g of Ireland, v.-ho was murdered by Csir«
b?.r.
Vol. II. c