Roffa! arm of death! comeft thou like a roe‡ from Malmor? Like a hart from the ecchoing hills?Hail thou fon of Roffa! what fhades the foul of war? FOUR ftones, replied the chief, rife on the grave of Cathbat.Thefe hands have laid in earth Duchomar, that cloud in war. Cathbat, thou fon of Torman, thou wert a fun-beam on the hill. And thou, O valiant Duchomar, like the mift of marthy Lano; when it fails over the plains of autumn and brings death to the people. Morna, thou faireft of maids! calm is thy fleep in the cave of the rock. Thou haft fallen in darkness like a ftar, that fhoots athwart the defart, when the traveller is alone, and mourns the tranfient beam. Say, faid Semo's blue-eyed son, fay how fell the chiefs of Erin? Fell they by the fons of Be thou like a roe or young hart on the mountains of Bether. SOLOMON'S Song. the an This paffage alludes to the manner of burial among cient Scots. They opened a grave fix or eight feet deep: the bottom was lined with fine clay; and on this they laid the body of the deceased, and, if a warrior, his fword, and the heads of twelve arrows by his fide. Above they laid another ftratum of clay, in which they placed the horn of a deer, the fymbol of hunting. The whole was covered with a fine mold, and four ftones placed on end to mark the extent of the are the four ftones alluded to here. grave. Thefe Lochlin, Lochlin, ftriving in the battle of heroes? Or what confines the chiefs of Cromla to the dark and narrow houfe? CATHBAT, replied the hero, fell by the fword of Duchomar at the oak of the noify ftreams. Duchomar came to Tura's cave, and spoke to the lovely Morna. MORNAT, faireft among women, lovely daughter of Cormac-cairbar. Why in the circle of ftones; in the cave of the rock alone? The ftream murmurs hoarfely. The old tree's groan is in the wind. The lake is troubled before thee, and dark are the clouds of the sky. But thou art like fnow on the heath; and thy hair like the mift of Cromla; when it curls on the rocks, and shines to the beam of the weft. Thy breasts are like two fmooth rocks feen from Branno of the ftreams. Thy arms like two white pillars in the halls of the mighty Fingal. FROM whence, the white-armed maid replied, from whence, Duchomar the most gloomy of men? Dark are thy brows and terrible. Red are thy rolling eyes. Does Swaran appear on the fea? What of the foe, Duchomar ? FROM the hill I return, O Morna, from the hill of the dark-brown hinds, Three have I • The grave.The house appointed for all living. JOB. + Muirne or Morna, a woman beloved by all. Three with my flain with my bended yew. long bounding dogs of the chace.-Lovely daughter of Cormac, I love thee as my foul. -I have flain one stately deer for thee. High was his branchy head; and fleet his feet of wind. DUCHOMAR ! calm the maid replied, I love thee not, thou gloomy man.Hard is thy heart of rock, and dark thy terrible brow. But Cathbat, thou fon of Torman*, thou art the love of Morna. Thou art like a fun-beam on the hill in the day of the gloomy ftorm. Saweft thou the son of Torman, lovely on the hill of his hinds? Here the daughter of Cormac waits the coming of Cathbat. AND long fhall Morna wait, Duchomar faid, his blood is on my fword.--Long shall Morna wait for him. He fell at Branno's ftream. High on Cromla I will raise his tomb, daughter of Cormac-cairbar; but fix thy love on Duchomar, his arm is ftrong as a form. AND is the fon of Torman fallen? faid the maid of the tearful eye. Is he fallen on his ecchoing heath; the youth with the breast of fnow? he that was firft in the chace of the hill; the foe of the ftrangers of the ocean.-Du * Torman, Thunder. This is the true origin of the Jupiter Taramis of the ancients. chomar ་ chomar thou art dark † indeed, and cruel is thy arm to Morna. But give me that fword, my foe; I love the blood of Caithbat. -HE gave the fword to her tears; but the pierced his manly breaft. He fell, like the bank of a mountain-ftream; ftretched out his arm and faid; DAUGHTER of Cormac-cairbar, thou haft flain Duchomar. The fword is cold in my breaft: Morna, I feel it cold. Give me to Moina* the maid; Duchomar was the dream of her night. She will raife my tomb; and the hunter fhall fee it and praise me. But draw the fword from my breaft; Morna, the fteel is cold. SHE came, in all her tears, he came, and drew it from his breaft. He pierced her white fide with fteel; and spread her fair locks on the ground. Her burfting blood founds from her fide and her white arm is ftained with red. Rolling in death the lay, and Tura's cave anfwered to her groans. : PEACE, faid Cuchullin, to the fouls of the heroes; their deeds were great in danger. Let them ride around me, on clouds; and fhew the dark man. She alludes to his name- It was the opinion then, as indeed it is to this day, of fome of the highlanders, that the fouls of the deceased hovered round their living friends; and fometimes appeared to them when they were about to enter on any great undertaking. I their their features of war: that my foul may be ftrong in danger; my arm like the thunder of heaven.- -But be thou on a moon-beam, O Morna, near the window of my reft; when my thoughts are of peace; and the din of arms is over.Gather the ftrength of the tribes, and move to the wars of Erin.-Attend the car of my battles; rejoice in the noise of my courfe. Place three fpears by my fide; follow the bounding of my fteeds; that my foul may be ftrong in my friends, when the battle darkens round the beams of my fteel. As ruthes a ftream* of foam from the dark fhady fteep of Cromla; when the thunder is rolling above, and dark-brown night on half the hill. So fierce, fo vaft, fo terrible rushed on the fons of Erin. The chief like a whale * Ως δ' ὅτε χείμαρροι ποταμοί, κατ' ὄρεσφι ξέοντες Κρανῶν ἐκ μεγάλων κοίλης ἔντοσθε χαράδρης. As torrents roll encreas'd by numerous rills HOM. Rufh to the vales, and pour'd along the plain, Roar thro' a thousand channels to the main. POPE Aut ubi decurfu rapido de montibus altis, Dant fonitum fpumofi amnes, & in æquora currunt, VIRG. of |
