Ossian Collection > Fragments of ancient poetry, collected in the Highlands of Scotland

[ 39 ]
OscuR flood forth to meet him:;
my fon would meet the foe. But Fin-
gal came in his ftrength, and fmiled ^t
the vaunter's boafl. They threw their
arms romid each other; they ftruggled
on the plain. The earth is ploughed with
thelrheels. Their bones crack as the boat
on the ocean, when it leaps from wave to
wave. Long did they toil ; with night,
they fell on the founding plain ; as two
oaks, with their branches mingled, fall
crafhing from the hill. The tall fon
of Morny is bound ; the aged over-
came.
Fair with her locks of gold, her
fmoothneck, and her hreafls of fnow ;
fair, as the fpirits of the hill when at
filent noon they glide along the heath ;
fair, as the rain-bow of heaven ; came
Minvane the maid. Fingal! flie foft-
ly faith, loofe me my brother Gaul.
Loofe me the hope of my race, the ter-
ror