Ossian Collection > Temora, an ancient epic poem, in eight books

A P O E M. 195
the chiefs to lead, by turns : they led, but they were rolled away.
— From his own mofly hill, blue-lliielded Trenmor came down.
He led wide-flcirted battle, and the flrangers failed. — Around him
the dark-browed warriors came : they ftruck the fliicld of joy.
Like a pleaiant gale, the words of power ruflied forth from Selma
of kings. But the chiefs led, by turns, in war, till mighty danger
rofe : then was the hour of the king to conquer in the field.
" Not unknown, liiid Cromma-glas * of fhields, are the deeds
of our fathers. — But who fliall now lead the war, before the race
of kings } Mift fettles on thefe four dark hills : within it let each
warrior ftrike his rtiield. Spirits may defcend in darknefs, and mark
us for the war." They went, each to his hill of mift. Bards
marked the founds of the fhields. Loudefl rung thy bofs, Duth-
maruno. Thou muft lead in war.
* In tradition, this Cromma-glas makes
a great figure in that battle which Comhal
loft, together with his life, to the tribe of
Morni. I have juft now, in my hands, an
Irifti compofition, of a very modern date,
as appears from the language, in which all
the traditions, concerning that decifive en-
gagement, are jumbled together. In juf-
tice to the merit of the poem, I fhould
have here prefented to the reader a tranfla-
tion of it, did not the bard mention fome
circumftances very ridiculous, and others
altogether indecent. Morna, the wife of
Comhal, had a principal hand in ail the
tranfaflions previous to the defeat and death
of her hufband ; (he, to ufe the words of
the bard, uho was the guiding Jlar of the
women of Erin. The bard, it is to be hoped,
mifreprefented the ladies of his country,
for Morna's behaviour was, according to
him, fo void of all decency and vir-
tue, that it cannot be fuppofed, they had
chofen her for \.\\t\x guiding Jiar. The
potm confifts of many ftanzas. The lan-
guage is figurative, and the numbers har-
monious ; but the piece is fo full of ana-
chronifm?, and fo unequal in its com-
pofition, that the author, moft undoubt-
edly, was either mad, or drunk, when he
wrote it.. .It is worthy of being re-
marked, that Comhal is, in this poem,
very often called, Comhal na h'Albin, or
Comhal of Albion, which fufEciently demon-
ftrates, that the allegations of Keating and
O Flaherty, concerning Fion Mac-Ccmnal,
are but of late invention.
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