Ossian Collection > Poems of Ossian

256 THE rOKMS Of OSSIAN.
haired blue-eyed Colmal. Her eye had rolled in secret
on Calthon ; his loveliness swelled in her soul. Slie
trembled for her warrior ; but what could Coinial do ?
Her arm could not lift the spear ; nor was the sword
formed for her side. Her white breast never rose be-
neath a mail. Neither was her eye the terror of he-
roes. What canst thou do, O Colmal ! for the falling
chief? Her steps are unequal ; her hair is loose ; her
eye looks wildly through her tears. She came, by
night, to the hall. She armed her lovely form in steel ;
the steel of a young warrior, who fell in the first of his
battles. She came to the cave of Calthon, and loosed
the thong from his hands.
" Arise, son of Rathmor," she said, "arise, the night
is dark ! Let us fly to the king of Selma, chief of fallen
Clutha ! I am the son of Lamgal, who dwelt in thy fa-
ther's hall. I heard of thy dark dwelling in the cave,
and my soul arose. Arise, son of Rathmor ! arise, the
night is dark !" — " Blest voice !" replied the chief,
" comest thou from the clouds to Calthon ? The ghosts
of his fathers have often descended in his dreams, since
the sun has retired from his eyes, and darkness has
dwelt around him. Or art thou the son of Lamgal, the
chief I often saw in Clutha ? But shall I fly to Fingal,
and Colmar my brother low ? Will I fly to Morven,
and the hero closed in night ? No ; give me that
spear, son of Lamgal ; Calthon will defend his bro-
ther !"
" A thousand warriors," replied the maid, " stretch
their spears round car-borne Colmar. What can Cal-
thon do against a host so great ? Let us fly to the king
of Morven, he will come with war. His arm is stretched
forth to the unhappy; the lightning of his sword is
round the weak. Arise, thou son of Rathmor; the
shadows will fly away. Arise, or thy steps may be
seen, and thou must fall in youth."