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

250 COLKA-DONA :
friend of strangers. He bade us to the feast cf kings,
to the dwelling of bright Colna-dcna. We went to the
hall of harps. There Car-iil brightened between his
Hged Ioci<.s, when he beheld the sons of his friends^
like two young trees with their leaves.
" Sons of the mighty," he said, " ye bring back the
days of old, when first I descended from waves, on
Selma'sstreamyvale. I pursued Duth-mocarglcs, dwel-
ler of Ocean's wind. Our fathers had been foes, we
met by Clutha's winding waters. He fled, along the
sea, and my sails were spread behind him. Night de-
ceived me, on the deep. I came to the dwelling of
kings, to Selma of high-bosomed maids. Fingai came
forth with his bards, and Conloch, arm of death. I
feasted three days in the h.all, and saw the blue eyes of
Erin, Ros-crana, daughter of heroes, light of Cormac's
race. Nor forgot did my steps depart : the kings gave
their shields to Car-ul: theyhang,on high, in Colamon,
in memory of the past. Son- of the daring kings, ye
bring back the days of old."
Car-ul placed the oak offcasts. He took two bos-
ses from our shields. He laid them in earth, beneath a
stone, to speak to the hero'sTace. " When battle (said
the king) shall roar, and our sons are to mectin wrath;
my race shall look, perhaps, on this stone, when they
prepare the spear. Have not our fathers met in peace,
they will say, and lay aside the shield ?"
Night cam.e down. In her long locks moved the
ill-inforn-ied senachic!, who bring the Cakdorians from distant coun-
tries. The bare opinion of Tacitus (wiiicli, by the bye, was only
founded en a similarity of the personal Sgure of the Caiedonia.is to
the Gemir.ns cf h.i.s own time) thonph it has staggered some learned
men, is not hufiicient to make us believe, tliat the ancient inhabitants
of North Britain were a German colony. A discussion of a point like
thi? might be curious, but could never be satisfactory. Periods so
distant are so involved in obscurity, that nothing certain can now
• Le advanced concerning them. The light which the Roman writ-
ers hold forth is too feeble to guide us to the truth, through the
darkness wliich fias surrounded it.