Ossian Collection > Poems of Ossian

290 OSSIAN
woody land? where the sun looks, in secret, on the
blue streams of Dal-rutho ? * There are the steps of thy
daughter, blue-eyed Dardu-lena!"
" Rememberest thou her," said Foldath, "because no
son is mine : no youth to roll the battle before him, in
revenge of me? Malthos, I am revenged. I was not
peaceful in the field. Raise the tombs of those I have
slain around my narrow house. Often shall I forsake
the blast to rejoice above their graves, when I behold
them spread around, with their long- whistling grass."
His soul rushed to the vale of Moma, to Dardu-lena's
dreams, where she slept, by Dal-rutho's stream, returning
from the chase of the hinds. Her bow is near the maid
unstrung. The breezes fold her long hair on her
breasts. Clothed in the beauty of youth, the love of
heroes lay. Dark-bending from the skirts of the wood,
her wounded father seemed to come. He appeared at
times, then hid himself in mist. Bursting into tears she
rose. She knew that the chief was low. To her came
a beam from his soul, when folded in its storms. Thou
wert the last of his race, O blue-eyed Dardu-lena.
Wide spreading over echoing Lubar, the flight of
Bolga is rolled along. Fillan hangs forward on their
steps. He strews, with dead, the heath. Fingal re-
joices over his son. Blue-shielded Cathmor rose, t
Son of Alpin, bring the harp. Give Fillan's praise to
chiefs of ihe Fir-bolg ; and their posterity sent to inquire there,
as to an oracle, concerning the issue of their wars.
* Dal-rhuath, parched or sandy field. The etymology of
Dardu-lena is uncertain. The daughter of Foldath was prob-
ably so called from a place in Ulster, where her father had
defeated part of the adherents of Artho, king of Ireland. Dardu-
lena, ihe dark wood of Moi-lena. As Foldath was proud and
ostentatious, it would appear that he transferred the name of a
place where he himself had been victorious to his daughter.
t The suspense in which the mind of the reader is left here
conveys the idea of Fillan's danger more forcibly home than
any description that could be introduced. There is a sort of