J. F. Campbell Collection > Temora, an ancient epic poem, in eight books

J74 S U L-M A L L A of L U M O N;
Darkness dwells in Cluba of harps: the race of kings is ^dif-
tant far; in battle is Conmor of fpears ; and Lormar * king of
ilreams. Nor darkening alone are they ; a beam, from other
lands, is nigh : the friend of ftrangers -f- in Atha, the troubler of
tlie field. High, from their mifty hills, look forth the blue eyes of
Erin ; for he is far away, young dweller of their fouls. — Nor,
hannlefs, white hands of Erin ! is he in the fkirts of war -y he rolls
ten thousand before him, in his diftant field.
Not unfeen by Offian, I faid, ruflied Cathmor from his ftreams,
when he poured his ftrength on I-thorno ;{:, ifle of many waves.
In flrife met two kings in I-thorno, Culgorm and Suran-dronio :
each from his echoing ifle, ftern hunters of the boar ?
call forth, by turns, all the powers of the
foul, prefent to us the different charafters
of men : in times of peace and quiet, for
want of objedls to exert them, the powers
of the mind lie concealed, in a great mea-
fure, and we fee only artificial paflions and
manners. — It is from this confideration I
conclude, that a traveller of penetration
(.ould gather more genuine knowledge
from a tour of ancient Gaul, than from the
minuteft obfervation of all the artificial
'manners, and elegant refinements of mo-
dern France.
* Lormar was the fon of Conmor, and
the brother of Sul-malla. After the death
of Conmor, Lormar fuccecdcd him in the
throne.
f Cathmor, the fon of Borbar-duthul.
it '.voukl appear, from the partisJity with
which Sal-malia fpeaks of that herb, that
fhe had feen him, previous to his joining
her father's army ; tho' tradition pofitively
aflerts, that it was, after his return, that
(he fell in love with him.
X I-thorno, fays tradition, was an-
ifland of Scandinavia. In it, at a hunting
party, met Culgorm and Suran-dronIo, the
kings of two neighbouring ifles. They
differed about the honour of killing a boar j
and a war was kindled between them. —
From this epifode we may learn, that the
manners of the Scandinavians were much
more favage and cruel, than thofe of
Britain. It is remarkable, that the
names, introduced in this ftory, are not
of Galic original, which circumftance
afl'ords room to fuppofe, th.Tt it had its
foundation in true hiflory.
They