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

8G CR.9MA : j
ears. Crothar rose, stretched his aged hand, and bles^ I
sed the son of Fingal.
" Ossian," said the hero, " the strength of Crothar^s j
arm has failed. O could I lift the sword as on the day
that Fingal fought at Strutha ! He was the first of
mortal men ; but Crothar had also his fame. The
king of Morven praised me, and he placed on my arm
the Dossy shield of Calthar, whom the hero had slain in
war. Dost thou not behold it on the wall, for Cro-
thar's eyes have failed ? Is thy strength like thy fa-
ther's, Ossian ? let the aged feel thine arm."
I gave my arm to the kin^ ; he feels it with his aged
hands. The sigh rose in his breast, and his tears de-
scended. " Thou art strong, rny son," he said, " hui
not like the king of Morven. But who is like that he-
ro among the mighty in war ? Let the feast of my halls
be spread ; and let my bards raise the song. Gi eat is
he that is within my walls, sons of echoing Crom?. 1'*
The feast is spread. The harp is heard ; and joy is in
the hall. But it was joy covering a sigh, that darklv
dwelt in every breast. It was like the faint beam of
the moon, spread on a cloud in heaven. At length the
music ceased, and the aged king of Croma spoke ; he
spoke without a tear, but the sigh swelled in the midst
of his voice.
" Son of Fingal ! dost thou not behold the darkness
of Crothar's hall of shells i* My soul v/as not dark at the
feast, v/hen my people livea. 1 rejoiced in tiie pre-
sence of strangers, when my son shone in the half.
But, Ossian, he is a beam that is departed, and left no
streak of liglit behind. He is fallen, son of Fingal, in
the battles of his father. Rothmai", the chief of grassy
Tromla, heard that my eyes had failed : he heard that
my arms were fixed in the hall, and the pride of his soul-
arose. He came towards Croma ; my people fell before
him. I took my arms in the hall; but what could sight-
less Crothar do? My steps were unequal ; my grief was
great. I wished for the days that were past. Days!
wherein I fought and coD<iuered in tlic fiel^ cf bl;)QciM