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

A POEM. 223
dcs<?ended, by night, in dark-red streams of fire. There,
mixed widi the murmur ot waters, rose the voice of
aged men, they called the forms of night, to aid them
in their war.
" Heedless *^ I stood with my people, where fell the
foamy stream from rocks. The moon moved red from
the mountain. My song, at times, arose. Dark oii
the other side, young Cathmor heard my voice ; for
he Iay,l)eneath the oak, in all his gleaming arms. Morn-
ing came ; we rushed to fight : from Vv/ing to wing in
the rolling of strife. They fell, like the thistle head,
beneath autumnal winds.
" In armour came a stately form : I mixed my strokes
witli the king. By turns our shields are pierced : loud
rung our steely mails. His helmet fell to the ground.
In brightness shone the foe. His eyes, two pleasant
flames, rolled between his wandering locks. I knew
the king of Atha, and threw my spear on earth. Dark,
we turned, and silent passed to mix with other foes.
Not so passed the striving kings '\ They mixed in
echoing fray ; like the meeting of ghosts, in the dark
wing of winds. Through either breast rushed the
spears ; nor yet lay the foes on earth. A rock receiv-
ed their fall; and half-reclined they lay in death. Each
held the lock of his foe ; and grimly seemed to roll his
eyes. The stream of the rock leapt on then* shields, and
mixed below with bJood.
" The battle ceased in I-thorno. The strangers met
in peace : Cathmor, from Atha of streams, and Ossian,
g From tiie circumstance of O-jian not being present at the rites,
described in the preceriing parugnph. we may suppose tb«t he held
them in contempt. This diiTerencaof sentiment, with regard to re-
ligion, is a »QTt of argument, that the Caledonians were not oviginal-
l,' a colony of Scaudinavjans, as some have imagined. Concerning
so remote a period, mere conjecture must supply the place of argu-
merit and positive proofs
h CuliTorm and Suraa dronlo. The combat of tli« kings, and
their attiiude in death are highly picturesque, and expressive of
tiu; f;r3cl;y of jjiinai^j, -.vLioIi dkti.iguiihefl the ncithsrn nations.