Matheson Collection > Popular tales of the west Highlands > Volume 4

PUBLISHED AND TRADITIONAL. 175
measure. The poet is very happy in his verse, which
is exceedingly smooth and fluent. This poem is en-
tirely descriptive. Whatever is interesting about this
mountain, which gained so much of his admiration, is
given with great minuteness. The wood, the deer, the
hunt, the wild flowers, and herbs, are portrayed with
great vividness ; still there is an excess of epithets,
which is tedious. MacDonald composed a piece of the
same kind previous to this, which Macintyre has imi-
tated ; but, in fact, the measure is but a mere exten-
sion of the poetical parts of the long heroic tales which
were in those days, and still are, so abundant in every
district of the Highlands. The measured prose of
those tales resembles a pibroch, as may be seen by
glancing at the tale of "The Slim Swarthy Champion,"
W. H. Tales, vol. i. " Coire cheathaich " is a beautiful
descriptive poem, full and circumstantial, but less
tedious than Beinn Dorain.
The following specimen will give an idea of this
species of poetry, though translation cannot convey the
original vigour of the reader : —
" Tha bradan tarra-gheal 's a' choire gharbhlaich,
Tha tigh'n o'n fhairge bu ghailbheach tonn ;
Le luinneis mheamnach a' ceapadh mheanbh-chuileag,
Gu neo-chearbach le cham-ghob crom ;
Air bhuinne borb, is e leum gu foirmeil ;
'Xa eideadh colgail bu ghorm-glas druim ;
Le shoillsean airgid, gu h-iteach, meana-bhreac ;
Gu lannach, dearg-bhallach, earr-gheal sliom."
There's a white-bellied salmon in the rough grassy
corry,
Coming from the sea of the wild raging waves ;