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

An epic poem, 6i
Duth-caron received his fame, and brightened, as he rofe on the
wind.
Pleasant to the ear, i^\id Fingal, is the praife of the kings
of men ; when their bows are ftrong in battle ; when they fofte.n
at the fight of the fad. — Thus let my name be renowned, when
bards fliall lighten my rifing foul. Carril, fon of Kinfena; take
the bards and raife a tomb. To night let Connal dwell, within his
narrow houfe : let not the foul of the valiant wander on the winds.
' — Faint glimmers the moon on Moi-lena, thro' the broad-headed
groves of the hill : raife ftoaes, beneath its beams, to all the fallen
in war. — Tho' no chiefs were they, yet their hands were ftrong
in fight. They were my rock in danger : the mountain from which
I fpread my eagle-wings. — Thence am I renowned: Carril forget
not the low.
Loud, at once, from the hundred bards, rofe the fong of the
tomb. Carril ftrode before them, they are the murmur of ftreamq
ceiveft thou me, with thy voice ? Here Cormac Mac-conar againfl: the infurrec-
Jet ir.e reft in {hades Shouldft thou tions of the Fir-bolg. It was then he faw,
ftretch thy white arm, from thy grove, fell in love with, and married Ros-oana,
thou fun-beam of Cormac of Erin ! the daughter of Cormac. Some tradi-
Ros-CRANA. tions give this poem to OfTian ; but, from
He is gone ! and my blue eyes are dim ; feveral circumftances, I conclude it to bs
faint-rolling, in all my tears. But, there, an imitation, but a very happy one, of the
I behold him, alone ; king of Morven, manner of that poet. Tlie elegance of
my foul is thine. Ah me ! what clanging the fentiment, and beauty of the imagery,
of armour ! — Colc-ullaof Atha is near ! — however, refer the compofition of it to an
Fingal, as we learn from the epifode, ^^^ of remote antiquity ; for the nearer
with which the fourth book begins, un- we approach to our own times, the lefs
dertook an expedition into Ireland, to aid beautiful are the compofitions of the bards.
5 "be-