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

2?8 CATH-LODA :
of a meteor, on dark-streaming clouds ! Ariee, around
me, children of heroes, in a land unkcown. Let each
look on his shield, like Trenraor, tlie ruler of battles,
" Come down," said the knig, " thou dweller be-
tween the harps. Thou shalt rolj tliis stream away,
or dwell with me in earth."
Around him they rose in wrath. No words came
forth : they seized their spears. Each soul is rolled in-
to itself. At length, the sudden clang is waked, on all
their echoing shields. Each took his hill, by night, at
intervals, they darkly stood. Unequal burst the hum of
songs, between the roaring wind. Broad over them
rose the moon. In his arms, came tall Duth-maruno ;
he from Croma-charn of rocks, stern hunter of the
boar. In his dark boat he rose on waves, when Crum-
thormoth c awaked its woods. In the chase he shone,
among his foes ; No fear was thine, Duth-maruQo.
" SonofComhal," hesaid, "mystepsshall beforward
tlirough night. From this shield I shall view them, c-
ver their gleaming tribes. Starno, of lakes, is before
me, and Swaran, the foe of strangers. Their words are
not in vain, by Loda's stone of power. If Duth-ma-
runo returns not, his spouse is lonely, at home, where
meet two roaring streams, on Crathmo-craulo^s plain.
Around are hills, with their woods ; the ocean is rolling
near. My son looks on screaming sea-fowl, young wan-
derer of the field. Give the head of a boar to Can-do-
na tt, tell him of his father's joy, when the bristly
strength of I-thorno rolled on his lifted spear."
c Crunithormoth, crie of the Orkney or Shetland islandi. The
name is not of Galic original. It was subject to its own petty king
who is mentioned in one of Ossian's poems.
d Ceandona, « head of the people,' theson of Dni-.h-marwno. He
became afterwards famous, in the expedition of Ossian, after the
death of Fingal. 'l"he traditional tales concerning him are numerous,
artd,fram the epithet in them, bestowed on him (Can-dona of boars)
it would appear, th.at lie applied himself to that kind of hunting,
which his father, in this paragraph, is so anxious to recommend tu
him. As I have mentioned tlie traditional tales of the Hig!!an !s, it
may a»t be iirpropcr here, to give gome accoui.tof them. After