Ossian Collection > Poems of Ossian

112 CRITICAL DISSERTATION
many successful achievements, taking his leave of
battles, and, with all the solemnities of those times,
resigning his spear to his son. The events are less
crowded in Temora than in Fingal ; actions and cha-
racters are more particularly displayed; we are let
into the transactions of both hosts ; and informed of
the adventures of the night as well as of the day. The
still, pathetic, and the romantic scenery of several of
the night adventures, so remarkably suited to Ossian's
genius, occasion a fine diversity in the poem ; and are
happily contrasted with the military operations of the
day.
In most of our author's poems the horrors of war
are softened by intermixed scenes of love and friend-
ship. In Fingal these are introduced as episodes ; in
Temora we have an incident of this nature wrought
into the body of the piece, in the adventure of Cath-
mor and Sulmalla. This forms one of the most con-
spicuous beauties of that poem. The distress of Sul-
malla, disguised and unknown among strangers, her
tender and anxious concern for the safety of Cathmor,
her dream, and her melting remembrance of the land
of her fathers; Cathmor's emotion when he first dis-
covers her, his struggles to conceal and suppress his
passion, lest it should unman him in the midst of war,
though ' his soul poured forth in secret, when he be-
held her fearful eye,' and the last interview between
them, when, overcome by her tenderness, he lets her
know he had discovered her, and confesses his passion ;
are all wrought up with the most exquisite sensibility
and delicacy.
Besides the characters which appeared in Fingal, se-
veral new ones are here introduced ; and though, as
they are all the characters of warriors, bravery is the
predominant feature, they are nevertheless diversified
in a sensible and striking manner. Foldath, for in-
stance, the general of Cathmor, exhibits the perfect
picture of a savage chieftain : bold and daring, but
presumptuous, cruel, and overbearing. He is distin-
guished, on his first appearance, as the friend of the ty-
rant Cairbar; ' His stride is haughty ; his red eye rolls
in wrath.' Iq his person and whole deportment he is