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

i>o T E M O R A.
their airy halls, tall, with robes of light, with mildly-kindied eyes.
But, to the proud in arms, they are darkened moons in heaven,
which fend the fire of night, red-wandering over their face.
Father of heroes, Trenmcr, dweller of eddying winds! I give
thy fpear to Offian, let thine eye rejoice. Thee have I feen, at
times, bright from between thy clouds ; fo appear to my fon, when
he is to lift the fpear ; then Ihall he remember thy mighty deeds,
though thou art now but a blaft.
He gave the fpear to my hand, and raifed, at once, a flone on
high, to fpeak to future times, with its grey head of mofs. Be-
neath he placed a fword * in earth, and one bright bofs from his
ihield. Dark in thought, a-while, he beiids : his word, at length,
come forth.
When thou, O llone, fhall moulder down, and lofe thee, in
the mofs of years, then (hall the traveller come, and whifUing pafs
away. — Thou know'il: not, feeble man, that fame once fhone on
had fome idea of rewards and punifhments The fimile in this paragraph is new, and,
after death. — Thofe who behaved, in life, if I may ufe the expreffion of a bard, who
with bravery and virtue, were received, alludes to it, biauiifully terrible.
with joy, to the airy halls of their fathers ; Mar dhubh-reiji, an croma nan fpeur,
but the dark in [lul, to ufe the expreflion of A tliaomas tcina na h'oicha,
the poet, were fpurned away /'-sra //J^ /^fli;"- Dearg-fruthach, air h'aighai' fein.
tathn cf heroes^ to wonder on all the winds. * There are fome flones ftill to be ken
Another opinion, which prevailed in thofe in the north, which were erected, as me-
times, tended not a little to make indivi- mona's of fome remarkable tranfactioiis
duals emulous to excel one another in mar- between the ancient chiefs. There are ge-
ti.il atchievtments. It was thought, that, nerally found, beneath them, fome piece
in the hcU if ilQi.ds, every one had a feat, of arms, and a bit of half-burnt wood.
raifed above others, in proportion as he ex- The caufe of pKcing the Lft there is not
ceiled them, in valour, when he lived.— mentioned in tradition.
Moilena.