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

180 TEMOS.A: Book VI.
Nor settled, from the storm, is Erin's sea of war ;
they glittered beneath the moon, and, low-humming,
still rolled on the field. Alone are the steps of Cathmor,
before them on the heath ; he hung forward, with all
his arms, on Moi"ven's living host. Now had he come
to the mossy cave, where Fillan lay in night. One tree
was bent above the stream, which glitered over the
rock. There shone to the moon the broken shield of
Clatho's son ; and near it, on grass, lay hairy-footed
Bran y. Ke had missed the chief on Mora, and search-
ed him along the wind. He thought that the blue-eyed
hunter slept ; he lay upon his shield. No blast came
over the heath, unknown to bounding Bran.
Cathmor saw tlie white-breasted dog ; he saw tlie
broken shield. Darkness is blown back on his soul: he
remembers the falling away of the people. *' They
come, a stream : are rolled away ; another race suc-
ceeds. But some mark the fields, as they pass, with
their own mughty names. The heath, through dark-
brov/n years is theirs ; some blue stream winds to their
fame. Of these be the chief of Atiia, when he lays him
dovvTi oc earth. Often may the voice of future times
meet Cathmor in the air ; when he strides from wind to
wind, or folds himself in the wing of a storm."
Green Erin gathered round the kicg, to hear the
voice of his power. Their joyful faces bend, unequal,
forvv'ard, in the light of the oak. They Vv^ho were ter-
y This circumstance, concerning Bran, the favourite dog of Fin-
gal, is, perhaps, one of the jnost affecting passages in the poem. I
remember te have met with an old poem, composed long afcer tlie
time of Ossian, wherein a story of this sort is very happily introdiic-
erl. In one of the invasions of the Danes, UUin-Clundu, a consider-
able chief, on the western coast of Scotland, was'killed in a rencoun-
ter with a flying party of the enemy, who had landed, at no great
distance from the place of his residence. Tlie few followers ivho
attended him were also slain. The yonng wife of Ullin-cluiulu, wliij.
had not heard of his fall, fearing the worat, on acccUiU of his long
delay, alarmed tJie rest of his tribe, vjfho went in sea'-ch of him along
f!;e shore. They did not find him j and the Leautifu! wTJovv bccanie