Ossian Collection > Works of Ossian, the son of Fingal > Volumes 3 and 4

An epic poem. 15
Shall Foldath *) slone meet the foe?
replied the dark -browed Malthos. Are they
not rtumerous on our coaftj like the waters of
many ftreams ? Are not thefe the chiefs, who
vanqulfhed Swaran, when the fons of Erin fled?
And fhall Foldath meet their, braveft heroes?
Foldath of the heart of pride ! take the ftrength
of the people; and let Malthos come. My
fword is red with flaughter, but who has heard
my words ** ) ?
Sons of green Erin, faid Hidalla *^^), let
nfet Fingal hear your words. The foe might
* ) The oppofite- characters of Foldath and Malthos
are ftrongly marked in fubfequent parts of the
poem. They appear always in oppofition. The
fexids between their families , which v.ere the
fource of their hatred to one another, are men-
tioned in other poems,
** ) That is, who has heard my vaunting ? He intend-
ed the exprellion as a rebuke to the felf-praife
of Foldath.
*'"■) Hidalla was the chief of Clonra , a fmall diftiia
on the banks of the lake of Lego. The beuuty
of his perfcn, his eloquence and genius for poe-
try, are afterwards mentioned.