Ossian Collection > Poems of Ossian, the son of Fingal > Volume 1

ON THE POEMS OF OSSIAN. II7
<* There were ming:led the triumphant fhouts and the
" dying groans of the vidors and tlie vanquifli_^d. The
« earth llreamed with blood. As \vhen winter torrents
*< rufliing from the mountains, pour into a narrow val-
« ley, their violent waters. They ifllie from a thoufand
*< fprings, and mix in the hollowed channel. The dif-
** tant fhepherd hears on the mountain, their roar
*' from afar. Such was the terror and the fliout of
** the engaging armies." In another pafiage, the poet,
much in the manner of Offian, heaps limiie on fimile,
to exprefs the vaftnefs of the idea, with which his ima-
gination feems to labour. " With a mighty fhout
" the hofts engage. Not fo loud roars the wave of
** ocean, when driven againft the Ihore by the whole
*• force of the boifterous north ; not fo loud in the
** woods of the mountain, the noife of the flame,
" when rifing in its fury to coniume the forell ; not ib
" loud the wind among the lofty oaks, when the wrath
*' of the ftorm rages ; as was the clamour of the Greeks
<* and Trojans, Vv-hen roaring terrible, they rulhed a-
*' gainft each other f."
To thefe defcriptions and fimilies, we may oppofe the
following from OfTian, and leave the reader to judge*
between them. Ke will find images of the fame kind
employed ; commonly lefs extended ; but thrown forth
with a glowing rapidity which charaderilcs our poet.
** As autumn's dark ftorms pour from two echoing
" hills, towards each other, approached the heroes.
*' As two dark flreams from high roclis meet, and
" mix, and roar on the plain ; loud, rough, and dark
" in battle, meet Lochlin and Inisfail. Chief mixed
*' his ftrokes with chief, and man with man. Steel
*' clanging, founded on Iteel. Helmets are cleft on
*< high ; blood burils and fmokes around. As the
«' troubled noife of the ocean, A\'hen roll the waves on
*' high ; as the lalt peal of the tliunder of heaven, fucu
*' is the noife of battle. As roll a thoufand waves to
I' the rock, fo Swaran's boil c.uue en i as meets a rccii