BERRATHON:

A POEM. *)

end thy blue course, o ftream, round the narrow plain of Lutha **). Let the green woods hang over it from their mountains; and

the

*) This poem is reputed to have been composed by Offian, a little time before his death; and con fequently it is known in tradition by no other name than Offian's last hymn. The translator has taken the liberty to call it Berrathon, from the epifode concerning the re-establishment of Larthmor king of that ifland, after he had been dethroned by his own fon Uthal. Fingal in his voyage to Lochlin, [Fing. B. III.] whither he

had

**) Lutha, swift ftream. It is impoffible, at this diftance of time, to ascertain where the scene here defcribed lies. Tradition is filent on that. head, and there is nothing in the poem, from which a conjecture can be drawn,

the fun look on it at noon. The thistle is there on its rock, and fhakes its beard to the wind. The flower hangs its heavy head, wavying

had been invited by Starno the father of Agandecca, fo often mentioned in Offian's poems, touched at Berrathon, an ifland of Scandinavia, where he was kindly entertained by Larthinor the petty king of the place, who was a vaffal of the fupreme kings of Lochlin. The hofpitali.

of Larthmor gained him Fingal's friendship, which that hero manifefted, after the imprisonment of Larthmor by his own fon, by fending Offian and Tofcar, the father of Malvina so of ten mentioned, to refcue Larthmor, and to pu nifh the unnatural behaviour of Uthai. Uthal was handsome to a proverb, and confequently much admired by the ladies. Nina - thoma, the beautiful daughter of Torthóma, a neighbour. ing prince, fell in love and fled with him. He proved unconftant; for another lady, whose 'name is not mentioned, gaining his affections, he confined Nina-thoma to a defart ifland near the coast of Berrathon. She was relieved by Offian, who, in company with Tofcar, landing on Berrathon, defeated the forces of Uthel, and killed him in a fingle combat. Nina-thowhofe love not all the bad behaviour

ma,

of

ing, at times, to the gale. Why doft thou awake me, o gale? it feems to fay; I am covered with the drops of heaven. The time of my fading is near, and the blaft that shall fcatter my leaves. To-morrow fhall the travel

ler

of Uthal could erase, hearing of his death, died of grief. In the mean time Larthmor is reftored, and Offian and Tofcar returned in triumph to Fingal.

The prefent poem opens with an elegy on the death of Malvina the daughter of Tofcar, and clofes with prefages of the poet's death. It is almoft altogether in a lyric measure, and has that melancholy air, which diftinguishes the remains of the works of Offian. If ever he compofed any thing of a merry turn, it is long fince loft. The ferious and inelancholy make the most lafting impreffions on the human mind, and bid faireft for being transmitted from generation to generation by tradition. Nor is it probable, that Offian dealt much in chearful compofition. Melancholy is fo much the companion of a great genius, that it is difficult to feparate the idea of levity from chearfulness, which is fometimes the mark of an amiable dispofition, but never the characteristic of elevated parts.

ler come, he that faw me in my beauty, fhall come; his eyes will fearch the field, but they will not find me. So fhall they fearch in vain, for the voice of Cona, after it has failed in the field. The hunter fhall come forth in the morning, and the voice of my harp fhall not be heard. "Where is the fon of car-borne Fingal?" The tear will be on his cheek.

Then come thou, o Malvina; *) with all thy mufic, come; lay Offian in the plain of Lutha: let his tomb rife in the lovely field. Malvina where art thou, with thy, fongs; with the foft found of thy fteps? Son ** ) of Alpin, art thou near? where is the daughter of Tofcar?

I paffed, o fon of Fingal, by Tar-lutha's moffy walls. The fmoke of the hall was ceafed: filence was among the trees of the hill.

The

*) Mal-mhina, soft or lovely brow. Mh in the Galic language has the fame found with v in English.

**) Tradition has not handed down the name of this fon of Alpin. His father was

one of Fingal's principal bards, and he appears himself to have had a poetical genius.

The voice of the chace was over. I faw the daughters of the bow. I asked about Malvina, but they answered not. They turned their faces away thin darkness covered their beauty. They were like ftars, on a rainy hill, by night, each looking faintly through her mist.

Pleasant *) be thy reft, o lovely beam! foon haft thou fet on our hills! The fteps of thy departure were ftately,

the blue, trembling wave.

like the moon on But thou haft left

us in darkness, firft of the maids of Lutha! We fit, at the rock, and there is no voice; no light but the meteor of fire! Soon haft thou fet, Malvina, daughter of generous Tofcar!

But thou rifeft like the beam of the east, among the fpirits of thy friends, where they fit in their ftormy halls, the chambers of the A cloud hovers over Cona: its blue curling fides are high. The winds are beneath it, with their wings; within it is the dwell

thunder.

*) Offian speaks. He calls Malvina a beam of light, and continues the metaphor throughout the paragraph.

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