nir's echoing halls. The face of age was bright. with joy, he bleft the king of fwords.

How great was the joy of Offian, when he beheld the diftant fail of his fon it was like a cloud of light that rifes in the east, when the traveller is fad in a land unknown; and difmat night, with her ghofts, is fitting around him. WE brought him, with fongs, to Selma's halls. Fingal ordered the feaft of thells to be fpread. A thousand bards raifed the name of Ofcar and Morven anfwered to the noife. The daughter of Tofcar was there, and her voice was like the harp; when the diftant found comes, in the evening, on the foft-ruftling breeze of the vale.

O LAY me, ye that fee the light, near fome rock of my hills: let the thick hazels be around, let the ruffling oak be near. Green be the place of my reft; and let the found of the distant torrent be heard. Daughter of Toscar, take the harp, and raife the lovely fong of Selma; that fleep may overtake my foul in the midst of joy ; that the dreams of my youth may return, and the days of the mighty Fingal.

SELMA! I behold thy towers, thy trees, and fhaded wall. I fee the heroes of Morven; and hear the fong of bards. Ofcar lifts the fword of Cormalo; and a thoufand youths admire its ftudded

fudded thongs. They look with wonder on my fon; and admire the strength of his arm. They mark the joy of his father's eyes; they long for an equal fame.

AND ye fhall have your fame, O fons of ftreamy Morven.---My foul is often brightened with the fong; and I remember the companions of my youth. But fleep defcends with the found of the harp; and pleasant dreams begin to rife. Ye fons of the chace ftand far diftant, nor difturb my reft. The bard of other times converfes now with his fathers, the chiefs of the days of old.---Sons of the chace, ftand far diftant; difturb not the dreams of Offian.

2

ON of the diftant land, who dwelleft in the fecret cell! do I hear the founds of thy grove? or is it the voice of thy fongs? The

*This poem is compleat; nor does it appear from tradition, that it was introduced, as an episode, into any of Offian's great works. It is called, in the original, Duan a Chuldich, or the Culdee's poem, because it was addressed to one of the first Christian miffionaries, who were called, from their retired life, Culdees, or fequefiered perfons. -The ftory bears a near resemblance to that which was the foundation of the Iliad. Fingal, on his return from Ireland, after he had expelled Swaran from that kingdom, made a feast to all his heroes: he forgot to invite Ma-ronnan and Aldo, two chiefs, who had not been along with him on his expedition. They refented his neglect; and went over to Erragon king of Sora, a country of Scandinavia, the declared enemy of Fingal. The valour of Aldo soon gained him a great reputation in Sora: and Lorma the beautiful wife of Erragon fell in love with him.-He found means to escape with her, and to come to Fingal, who refided then in Selma on the western coast. -Erragon invaded Scotland, and was flain in battle by Gaul the fon of Morni, after he had rejected terms of peace offered him by Fingal.-In this war Aldo fell, in a fingle combat, by the hands of his rival Erragon; and the unfortunate Lorma afterwards died of grief.

torrent

torrent was loud in my ear, but I heard a tuneful voice; doft thou praise the chiefs of thy land; or the fpirits * of the wind ?---But, lonely dweller of the rock! look over that heathy plain: thou feeft green tombs, with their rank, whistling grafs; with their ftones of moffy heads thou feeft them, fon of the rock, but Offian's eyes have failed.

1

A MOUNTAIN-STREAM Comes roaring down and fends its waters round a green hill: four moffy ftones, in the midft of withered grafs, rear their heads on the top: two trees, which the ftorms have bent, fpread their whiftling branches around.This is thy dwelling, Erragon; this thy narrow houfe: the found of thy thells has been long forgot in Sora: and thy shield is become dark in thy hall.Erragon, king of fhips! chief of diftant Sora! how haft thou fallen on our mountains! How is the mighty low!

*The poet alludes to the religious hymns of the Culdees.

Erragon, or Ferg-thonn, fignifies the rage of the waves; probably a poetical name given him by Offian himself; for he goes by the name of Annir in tradition.

The beauty of Ifrael is flain on thy high places: how are the mighty fallen! 2 SAM. ii. 19. of the battle! O

How are the mighty fallen in the midst Jonathan, thou waft flain in thine high places.

2 SAM. ii. 25.

SON

SON of the fecret cell! doft thou delight in fongs? Hear the battle of Lora; the found of its feel is long fince paft. So thunder on the darkened hill roars and is no more. The fun returns with his filent beams: the glittering rocks, and green heads of the mountains fmile.

The

THE bay of Cona received our fhips *, from Ullin's rolling waves: our white sheets hung loofe to the mafts: and the boisterous winds roared behind the groves of Morven. horn of the king is founded, and the deer fart from their rocks. Our arrows flew in the woods; the feaft of the hill was spread. Our joy was great on our rocks, for the fall of the terrible Swaran.

Two heroes were forgot at our feaft; and the rage of their bofoms burned. They rolled their red eyes in fecret: the figh burft from their breafts. They were feen to talk together, and to throw their spears on earth. They were two dark clouds, in the mist of our joy, like pillars of mift on the fettled fea: it glitters to the fun, but the mariners fear a storm.

RAISE my white fails, faid Ma-ronnan, raise them to the winds of the weft; let us rush, Ọ Aldo, through the foam of the northern wave.

This was at Fingal's return from his war against Swaran.