Ossian Collection > Poems of Ossian, the son of Fingal

4^6 A CRITICAL DISSERTATION^ ON
among them, as much, at least, as among the Trohdores, or
strolling Provencal bards, in the loth or nth century; whose
songs, it is said, first gave rise to those romantic ideas of heroism,
which for so long a time inchanted Europe.* Ossian's heroes
have all the gallantry and generosity of those fabulous knights,
without their extravagance; and his love scenes have native ten-
derness, without any mixture of those forced and unnatural con-
ceits which abound in the old romances. The adventures related
by our poet which resemble the most those of romance, con-
cern women who follow their lovers to war disguised in the ar-
mour of men ; and these are so managed as to produce, in the
discovery, several of the m.ost interesting situations ; one beauti-
ful instance of which may be seen in Carric-thura, and another
in Calthon and Colmal.
Oithona presents a situation of a different nature. In the ab-
sence of her lover Gaul, she had been carried off and ravished by
Dunrommath. Gaul discovers the place where she is concealed,
and comes to revenge her. The meeting of the two lovers, the
sentiments and behaviour of Oithona on that occasion, are de-
scribed with such tender and exquisite propriety, as does the
greatest honour both to the art and to the delicacy of our author :
and would have been admired in any poet of the most refined age.
The condudl of Croma must strike every reader as remarkably ju-
dicious and beautiful. We are to be prepared for the death of
Malvina, which is I'elated in the succeeding poem. She is there-
fore introduced in person ; " she has heard a voice in a dream;
she feels the fluttering of her soul;" and in a most moving lamen-
tation addressed to her beloved Oscar, she sings her own Death
Song. Nothing could be calculated with more art to sooth and
comfort her, than the story which Ossian relates. In the young
and brave Fovargormo, another Oscar is introduced ; his praises
are sung ; and the happiness is set before her of those who die in
their youth, " when their renown is around them; before the
" feeble behold them in the hall, and smile at their trembling
" hands."
But no where does Ossian's genius appear to greater advantage,
than
* Vid. Huetius de origine fabularutn Romanensium.