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soft complaint of Minona! How are ye changed, my friends, since the days of Selma's feast! when we contended, like the gales of the spring, that, flying over the hill, by turns bend the feebly-whistling grass.

Minona then came forth in her beauty; with downcast look and tearful eye; her hair flew slowly on the blast that rushed unfrequent from the hill. The souls of the heroes were sad when she raised the tuneful voice; for often had they seen the grave of Salgar *), and the dark dwelling of whitebosomed Colma **). Colma left alone on the hill, with all Salgar promised to come: but the night Hear the voice of Colma, when she sat

her voice of music! descended round.

alone on the hill!

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COLMA

,,It is night; I am alone, forlorn on the hill of storms. The wind is heard in the mountain. The torrent shrieks down the rock. No hut receives me from the rain; forlorn on the hill of winds.

Rise, moon! from behind thy clouds; stars of the night my love appear! Lead me, some light, to, the place where rests from the toil of the chase! his bow near him, unstrung; But here I must sit alone, by his dogs panting around him. the rock of the mossy stream. The stream and the wind roar; nor can I hear the voice of

my

love.

Why delays my Salgar, why the son of the bill, his promise? Here is the rock, and the tree; and here the roaring Ah! stream. Thou didst promise with night to be here. whither is my Salgar gone? With thee I would fly my father; with thee, my brother of pride: Our race have long been foes; but we are not foes, O Salgar!

Cease a little while, O wind! stream, be thou silent a while, let my voice be heard over the heath; let my wanderer hear me. Salgar! it is I who call. Here is the tree, and the rock, Salgar, my love! I am here. Why delayest thou thy coming!

Lo! the moon appeareth. The flood is bright in the vale. The rocks are grey on the face of the hill. But I see him not on the brow; his dogs before him tell not that he is coming. Here I must sit alone.

*) Sealg-'er, a hunter. **) Cul-math, a woman with fine hair.

But who are these that lie beyond me on the heath? Are they my love and my brother? Speak to me, 0 my friends! they answer not. My soul is tormented with fears.

Ah!

they are, dead. Their swords are red from the fight. O my brother! my brother! why hast thou slain my Salgar? why, O Salgar! hast thou slain my brother? Dear were ye both to me! what shall I say, in your praise? Thou wert fair, on the hill among thousands; he was terrible in fight. Speak to me; hear my voice, sons of my love! But alas! they are silent; silem for ever! Cold are their breasts of clay!

Oh! from the rock of the hill; from the top of the windy mountain, speak, ye 'ghosts of the dead! speak, I will not be afraid. Whither are ye gone to rest? In what cave of the hill shall I find you? No feeble voice is on the wind: no answer half-drowned in the storms of the hill.

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I sit in my grief. I wait for morning in my tears. Rear the tomb, ye friends of the dead; but close it not till Colma come. My life flies away like a dream: why should I stay behind? Here shall I rest with my friends, by the stream of the sounding rock. When night comes on the hill; when the wind is on the heath; my ghost shall stand in the wind, and mourn the death of my friends. The hunter shall hear from his booth. He shall fear, but love my voice. For sweet shall my voice be for my friends; for pleasant were they both to me." Such was thy song, Minona softly-blushing maid of Torman. Our tears descended for Colma, and our souls were sad. Ullin came with the harp, and gave the song of Alpin. The voice of Alpin was pleasant: the soul of Ryno was a beam of fire. But they had rested in the narrow house: and their voice was not heard in Selma. Ullin had returned one day from the chase, before the heroes fell. He heard their strife on the hill: their song was soft but sad. They mourned the fall of Morar, first of mortal men., His soul was like the soul of Fingal; his sword like the sword of Oscar. But he fell, and his father mourned: his sister's eyes were full of tears. Minona's eyes were full of tears, the sister of carborne Morar. She retired from the song of Ullin, like the moon in the west, when she fore-sees the shower, and hides her fair head in a cloud. I touched the harp, with Ullin; the song of mourning rose.

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RINO.

The wind and the rain are over: calm is the noon of day. The clouds are divided in heaven. Over the green hills flies the inconstant sun. Red through the stony vale comes down the stream! but more sweet is the voice I hear. It is the voice of Alpin, the son of song, mourning for the dead. Bent is his head of age, and red his tearful eye. Alpin, thou son of song, why alone on the silent hill? why complainest thou, as a blast in the wood? as a wave on the lonely shore?

ALPIN,

My tears, O Ryno! are for the dead; my voice, for the inhabitants of the grave. Tall thou art on the hill; fair among the sons of the plain. But thou shalt fall like Morar *); and the mourner shall sit on thy tomb. The hills shall know thee no more; thy bow shall lie in the hall, unstrung. Thou wert swift, O Morar! as a roe on the hill; terrible as a meteor of fire. Thy wrath was as the storm. Thy sword in battle, as lightning in the field. Thy voice was like a stream after rain; like thunder on distant hills. Many fell by thy arm they were consumed in the flames of the wrath.

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But when thou didst return from war, how peaceful was thy brow Thy face was like the sun after rain; like the moon in the silence of night; calm as the breast of the lake when the loud wind is laid.

Narrow is thy dwelling now; dark the place of thine abode. With three steps I compass thy grave, O thou whe wast so great before! Four stones, with their heads of moss, are the only memorial of thee. A tree with scarce a leaf, long grass which whistles in the wind, mark to the hunter's eye the grave of the 'mighty Morar. Morar! thou art low indeed. Thou hast no mother to mourn thee; no maid with her tears of love. Dead is she that brought thee forth. Fallen is the daughter of Morglan.

whose head is

Who on his staff is this? who is this, white with age, whose eyes are red with tears who quakes at It is thy father **), O Morar! the father of no He heard of thy fame in battle; he heard of

every step?

son but thee.

foes dispersed.

He heard of Morar's fame; why did he not

*) Mor-er, great man. **) Torman, the son of Carthal, lord of I-mora, one of the western isles.

hear, of his wound? Weep, thou father of Morar! weep; but
Deep is the sleep of the dead;
No more sliall he hear thy voice;
When shall it be morn

thy son heareth thee not.
low their pillow of dust,
no more shall he awake at thy call.

in the grave, to bid the slumberer awake?

Farewel, thou bravest of men! thou conqueror in the field! but the field shall see thee no more; nor the dark wood be lightened with the splendor of thy steel. Thou hast left no son. But the song shall preserve thy name.

Future times shall hear of thee; they shall hear of the fallen Morar.

The grief of all arose, but most the bursting sigh of Armin *). He remembers the death of his son, who fell in the days of his youth. Carmor **) was near the hero, the chief of the echoing Galmal. Why bursts the sigh of Armin, he said? Is there a cause to mourn? The song comes, with its music, to melt and please the soul. It is like soft mist, that rising from a lake, pours on the silent vale; the green flowers are filled with dew, but the sun returns in 'his strength, and the mist is gone. Why art thou sad, O Armin, chief of seasurrounded Gorma?

Sad! I am sad indeed: nor small my cause of woe! Carmor, thou hast lost no son; thou hast lost no daughter of beauty. Colgar the valiant, lives; and Annira fairest maid. The boughs of thy family flourish, O Carmor! but Armin is the last of his race. Dark is thy bed, O Daura! and deep thy sleep in the tomb ***). When shalt thou awake with thy songs? with all thy voice of music?

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*) Armin, a hero. He was chief or petty king of Gorma, i. e. the blue island, supposed to be one of the Hebrides.

**) Cear-mor, a tall dark-complexioned man.

***) John Smith in seiner Abhandlung über die Ächtheit der Gedichte Ossian's führt an, dafs man den Ort der in die' ser Episode erzählten Handlung, in Schottland, in einem fast unzugänglichen Winkel von Argyle-shire genau angeben könne; das Eiland, wohin Erath die Daura geführt, heifse noch itzt Inis-Erath (Erath's Eiland); eine gegenüberliegende Meierei habe gleichfalls den Namen daher, und etwa eine Meile davon führe ein Strom den Namen Dura-im (Strom der Daura). ́ In dieser Gegend giebt es mehrere Örter, die von Ossianschen Helden, als von Konnal u. a. den Namen führen. (Diese Anmerkung ist aus der Übersetzung der Gedichte Ossian's von Rhode entlehnt.)

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Arise winds of autumn, arise; blow upon the dark heath! streams of the mountains, roar! howl, ye tempests, in the top of the oak! walk through broken clouds, O moon! show by intervals thy pale face! bring to my mind that sad night, when all my children fell; when Arindal the mighty fell; when Daura the lovely failed.

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Daura, my daughter! thou wert fair; fair as the moon on the hills of Fura *); white as the driven snow; sweet as the breathing gale. Arindal, thy bow was strong, thy spear was swift in the field: thy look was like mist on the wave; thy shild, a red cloud in a storm. Armar, renowned in war came, and sought Daura's love; he was not long denied; fair was the hope of their friends.

Erath, son of Odgal, repined; for his brother was slain by Armar. He came disguised like a son of the sea: fair was his skiff on the wave; white his locks of age; calm his serious brow.,, Fairest of women, he said, lovely daughter of Armin!

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a rock not distant in the sea, bears a tree on its side; red shines the fruit afar.) There Armar waits for Daura. I came to carry his love along the rolling sea. She went; and she called on Armar. but the son of the rock **). „Armar, my

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Nought answered, love! my love! why tormentest thou me with fear? hear, son of Ardnart, hear: it is Daura who calleth thee!" Erath the traitor fled laughing to the land. She lifted up her voice, and cried for her brother, and her father.,, Arindal! Armin! none to relieve your Daura!"

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Her voice came over the sea.

His arrows

Arindal my son descended from the hill: rough in the spoils of the chase. rattled by his side, his bow was in his hand; five dark gray dogs attended his steps. He saw fierce Erath on the shore: he seized and bound him to an oak. Thick bead the thongs ***) of the hide around his limbs; he loads the wind - with his groans.

**Arindal ascends the wave in his boat, to bring Daura to

The

*) Fuar-a, cold island. **) By the son of the rock, the poet means the echoing back of the human voice from a rock. vulgar were of opinion, that this repetition of sound, was made by a spirit within the rock; and they, on that account, called it mac-talla; the son who dwells in the rock. **) The poet here only means that Erath was bound with leathern thongs.

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