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He twice ftruck the tree in wrath. He rushed before his fon. He hummed a furly fong; and heard his hair in wind. Turned *) from one another, they stood, like two oaks, which different winds had bent; each hangs over its own loud rill, and thakes its boughs in the courfe of blafts.

His joy was

Annir, faid Starno of lakes, was a fire that confumed of old. He poured death from his eyes, along the ftriving fields. in the fall of men. Blood, to him, was a fuinmer-ftream, that brings joy to withered vales, from its own moffy rock. / He came forth to the lake Luth-cormo to meet the

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tall

*) The furly attitude of Starno and Swaran is well adapted to their fierce and uncomplying dispofitions. Their characters, at first fight, feem little different; but, upon examination, we find, that the poet has dexterously diftinguished between them. They were both dark, ftubborn, haughty and referved: but Starno was cunning, revengeful, and cruel, to the highest degree; the dispofition of Swaran, though savage, was less bloody, and fomewhat tinctured with generofity. It is doing injuftice to Offian, to say, that he has not a great variety of characters.

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tall Corman-trunar, he from Urlor of ftreams, dweller of battle's wing.

The chief of Urlor had come to Gormal, with his dark bofomed fhips; he faw the daughter of Annir, white-armed Foinar - bragal. He faw her: nor careless rolled her eyes, on the rider of stormy waves. She fled to his ship in darkness, like a moon - beam, thro' a nightly vale. Annir pursued along the deep; he Nor alone

called the winds of heaven.

was the king; Starno was by his fide. Like U-thorno's young eagle, I turned my eyes on my father.

We came to roaring Urlor. With his people came tall Corman - trunar. We fought; but the foe prevailed. In his wrath flood Annir of la kes. He lopped the young trees, with his fword. His eyes rolled red in his rage. I marked the foul of the king, and I retired in night. From the field I took a broken helmet: a fhield that was pierced with fteel: pointless was the fpear in my hand. I went to find the foe.

On a rock fat tall Corman - trunar, befide his burning oak; and near him, beneath a tree, fat deep bofomed Foinar bragal. I threw my broken

broken fhield before her; and spoke the words of peace. — Befide his rolling fea, lies Annir of many lakes. The king was pierced in battle; and Starno is to raife his tomb. Me, a fon of Loda, he fends to white-handed Foinar-bragal, to bid her fend a lock from her hair, to rest with her father, in earth.

And thou king of roaring Urlor, let the battle ceafe, till Annir receive the fhell, from fieryeyed Cruth - loda.

*) Bursting into tears, fhe rofe, and tore a lock from her hair; a lock, which wandered, in the blaft, along her heaving breast.

Corman - trunar gave the fhell; and bade me to rejoice before him. — I rested in the shade of night; and hid my face in my helmet deep. Sleep defcended on the foe. I rofe, like

*) Offian is very partial to the fair fex.

a ftalk

Even the

daughter of the cruel Annir, the fifter of the re-
vengeful and bloody Starno, partakes not of
thofe disagreeable characters fo peculiar to her
family. She is altogether tender and delicate.
Homer, of all ancient poets, uses the fex with
leaft ceremony.
His cold contempt is even war-
fe, than the downright abuse of the moderns;
for to draw abuse implies the posfeffion of fome
inerit,

a ftalking gloft. I pierced the fide of Corman trunar. Nor did Foinar- bragal efcape. She rolled her white bofom in blood. Why then, daughter of heroes, didft thou wake my rage?

Morning rofe. The foe were fled, like the departure of mift. Annir ftruck his bofly fhield. He called his dark-haired fon. I came, ftreaked with wandering blood: thrice rofe the fhout of the king, like the bursting-forth of a fquall of wind, from a cloud, by night.

We rejoiced, three days, above the dead, and called the hawks of heaven. They came, from all their winds, to feast on Annir's foes. Swaran! Fingal is alone *), on his hill of night. Let thy fpear pierce the king in fecret; like Annir, my foul fhall rejoice.

Son of Annir of Gormal, Swaran fhall not

flay in fhades. I move forth in light; the

hawks

* Fingal, according to the custom of the Caledonian kings, had retired to a hill alone, as he himself was to refume the command of the ars my the next day. Starno might have fome intelligence of the king's retiring, which occafions his request to Swaran, to ftab him; as he forefaw, by his art of divination, that he could not overcome him in open battle.

hawks rush from all their winds. They are wont to trace my courfe: it is not harmless thro' war.

Burning rofe the rage of the king. He thrice raifed his gleaming fpear. But starting, he fpared his fon; and rushed into the night. By Turthor's ftream a cave is dark, the dwelling of Conban - carglas. There he laid the helmet of kings, and called the maid of Lulan, but he was diftant far, in Loda's refounding hall.

Swelling in his rage, he ftrode, to where Fingal lay alone. The king was laid on his fhield, on his own fecret hill.

Stern

hunter of fhaggy boars, no feeble maid is laid before thee: no boy, on his ferny bed, by Turthor's murmuring ftream. Here is fpread the couch of the mighty, from which they rife to deeds of death. Hunter of fhaggy boars,

awaken not the terrible.

Starno came inurmuring on. Fingal arofe in arms. "Who art thou, fon of night?" Silent he threw the fpear. They mixed their gloomy ftrife. The shield of Starno fell, cleft in twain. He is bound to an oak. The early beam

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