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

4 riNGAL: Bonh I.
burfts the fong of battle. And rocking Cronnla ]| eclioes
round. On Lena's dufky heath tliey ftand, Hke miftt
that Ihades the hills of autumn : when broken and dark
it fettles high, and lifts its head to heaven !
" Hail," I^iid Cuchullin, " fons of the narrow vales!
hail, ye hunters of the deer! Anotlier fport is drawing
near: It is like the dark rolling of that wave on the
coaft! Shall we fight, ye fons of war! or yield green
Innis-fail f to Lochlin ! O Connalli ^ fpeak thou firft of
men! thou breaker of the fnields! thou haft often
fought with Lochlin: -wilt thou lift thy father's fpcar?'*
" Cuchullin!" calm thje chief replied, *' the fuear of
Connal is keen. It delights to fhine in battle; and to
mix M'ith the blood of thoufands. But tho' my hand
is bent on war, my heart is for the peace of Erin ff. Be-
hold, thou lii-ft in Cormac's war, the iable fleet of Swa-
ran. His mafis are as numerous on our coaft as reeds
in the lake of Lego. His fhips are like forefts clothed
with mift, when the trees yield by turns to the fqually
wind. Many are his chiefs in battle. Connal is for
peace ! FIngal would fhun his arm, the firft of mortal
men! FIngal who fcatters the mighty, as ftormv winds
the heath; when the ftrcams roar through echoing Co-
na: and night fettles with all her clouds on the hill!"
" Fly, thou chief of peace," faid Calmar ||[|, the fon
of Matha; " fly, Connal, to thy lilcnt hills, where the
Ihr Jrnids. ;t i:, hctc the pro-
t lclll;il UiLitcalld rjLinv Innis-fsil,
as the fon ofCaitM)at prince of Tongorm*
of the Hebrides. His iti other was Fimito-
I • ( . ■ ; al. He hail a fon by Foba of Conaihai-ncffar, who was
ii I'lilcr. For Jiis fcrviccs in the wai SRainll Swaran, he had
n him, which, from his name, w crc called '1 ir-chonnuil orTir.
connci, i.e. the land of Connal.
tt Krin. ananic of Ireland; ffom 'caroriar' weft, and 'in' an ifland. This
nairre was nnt always conlincd l« Irelanri, for there is the hiRheU probability llmt
t^c I erne of the ancients was flritain to the north of the Forth. For icrnc li
faid to be the North of Britain, whitU could not be nieiint ot Ireland.
Scrabo, lib. a. ct4. Cafaub. lib. i.
|1], CaUn-cr, « a flrong man.*