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

A f02M. f^
of the Streams of Duvranna. " Whither art thou gone in
thy beauty, dark-haired daughter of Nuath ? Lathmon
is in the field of the vaUant, but thou didst promise to
remain in the hall ; thou didst promise to remain in
the hall till the son of Morni returned. Till he returned
from Strumon, to the maid of his love. The tear was
on thy cheek at his departure : the sigli rose in secret
in thy breasts But thou dost not eorae to meet him
with songs, with the lightly-trembling sound of the
harp."
Such were the words of Gaul, when he came to
Dunlathmon's towers. The gates were open and dark.
The winds were blustering in the hall. The trees
strewed the threshold with leaves ; and the murmur of
night was abroad. Sad, and silent at a rock, tlie son of
Morni sat : his soul trembled for tlie maid ; but he
knew not whither to turn his course. The son b of
Leth stood at a distance, and heard the tvinds in his
bushy hair. But he did not raise his voice, for he sav/
tiie sorrow of Gaul.
Sleep descended on the heroes. The visions of
night arose. Oithona stood in a dream, before the
eyes of Morni's son. Her dark hair was loose and dir-
ordered ; her lovely eye rolled in tear?. Bioocl stain-
ed her snowy arm. The robe half hid the wound of
her breast. She stood o\-er the chief, and her voice
was heard.
" Sleeps the son of Morni, he that was lovely in the
eyes of Oithona ? Sleeps Gaul at the distant rock, and
the daughter of Nuath low ? The sea rolls round the
dark isle of Tromathon ; I sit in my tears in the cave.
Nor do I sit alone, O Gaul, the dark chief of Cluthal i5
there. He is there in the rage of his love. And what
can Oithona do ?"
A rougher blast rushed through the oak. The dream
b Morlo, the son of Lcth,is one of Fincnrs most f.imous heroes.
He and three other men aucuUed Gaul on his e:tpedition toTrotr.a-
^hon.