Ossian Collection > Poems of Ossian

ON THE POEMS OF OSSIAX. 101
" Raise to-morrow thy white sails <o the wind, thou
brother of Agandecca!" he conveys, by thus ad-
dressing his enemy, a stronger impression of the
emotions then passing within his mind, than if
whole paragraphs had been spent in describing the
conflict between resentment against Swaran and the
tender remembrance of his ancient love. No am-
plification is needed to give us the most full idea of
a hardy veteran, afti . the few following words :
" His shield is marked with the strokes of battle ;
his red eye despises danger." When Oscar, left
alone, was surrounded by foes, " he stood," it is
said, " growing in his place, like the flood of the
narrow vale;" a happy representation of one, who,
by daring intrepidity in the midst of danger, seems
to increase in his appearance, and becomes more
formidable every moment, like the sudden rising of
the torrent hemmed in by the valley. And a whole
crowd of ideas, concerning the circumstances of
llomestic sorrow, occasioned by a young warrior's
first going forth to battle, is poured upon the mind
by these words : " Calmar leaned on his father's
spear; that spear which he brought from Lara's
hall, when the soul of his mother was sad."
The conciseness of Ossian's descriptions is tlie
more proper on account of his subjects. Descrip-
tions of gay and smiling scenes may, without any
disadvantage, be amplified, and prolonged. Force
is not the predominant quality expected in these.
The description may be weakened by being diffuse,
yet notwithstanding, may be beautiful still : where-
as, with respect to grand, solemn, and pathetic sub-
jects, which are O-sian's chief field, the case is
I very difterent. In these, enerGry is above all things
: required. The imagination must be seized at once,
or not at all ; and is far more deeply impressed by
" one strong and ardent image, than by the anxious
; minuteness of laboured illustration.
But Ossian's genius, though chiefly turned to-
wards the subliiTie and pathetic, was not confined
: to it. In subjects also of grace and delicacy, he
i discovers the hand of a master. Take for an ex-
■ ample the following elegant description of Agiin-