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of Morven; which lifts its broad head to the ftorm, and rejoices in the courfe of the wind.

But I will tread foftly, my king! and steal to the bed of thy rerofe. Minvane will lie in filence, near her flumbering Ryno,

The maids fhall feek me; but they fhall not find me they fhall follow my departure with fongs. But I will not hear you, o maids: I fleep with fair - haired Ryno,

CATH

CATHLIN

O F

CLUTHA:

A

POEM.

An addrefs to Malvina, the daughter of Tofter.
The poet relate the arrival of Cathlin in Selma, to
folicit ai against Duth - carmor of Cluba, who had
killed Cathmol, for the fake of his daughter Lánul.

Fingal declining to make a choice among his heroes, who were all claiming the command of the expedition; they retired each to his hill of ghosts; to be determined by dreams. The spirit of Trenmor appears to Offian and Ofcar: they fail, from the bay of Carmona, and on the fourth day, appear off the valley of Rath-col, in Inis - huna, where Duth. carmor had fixed his refidence. Offian dispat

ches a bard to Duth-carmor, to demand battle.

Night comes on.

Clutha.

The distress of Cathlin of

Offian devolves the command on Of

car, who, according to the cuftom of the kings of Morven, before battle, retired to a neighbouring Upon the coming on of day, the battle

hill. joins.

latter falls.

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Ofcar and Duth-carmor meet. The Ofcar carries the mail and helmet of Duth - carmor to Cathlin, who had retired from the field. Cathlin is discovered to be the daughter of Cathmol, in disguife, who had been carried off, by force, by, and had made her escape from, Duth-carmor.

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CATHLIN

OF

CLUTHA:

A POEM.

"Com

ome, thou beam that art lonely, from watching in the night! The fqually winds are around thee, from all their ecchoing hills. Red, over my hundred ftreams, are the light

*) The traditions, which accompany this poem, inform us, that both it, and the fucceeding pie

ce,

went, of old, under the name of Laoi Oi-lutha; i. e. the hymns of the maid of Lutha. They pretend alfo to fix the time of its compofition to the third year after the death of Fingal; that is, during the expedition of Fergus the fon of Fingal, to the banks of Uifca duthon. In fupport of this opinion, the Highland-fenachies

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light-covered paths of the dead. They rejoice, on the eddying winds, in the ftill feafon of night. Dwells there no joy in fong, white hand of the harps of Lutha?

Awake the

voice of the ftring, and roll my foul to me.

It is aftream that has failed.

Malviną,

pour the fong,

I hear

have prefixed to this poem, an address of Of fiani, to "Congal the young fon of Fergus, which I have rejected, as having 110 manner of connection with the reft of the piece.

1

has poetical merit; and, probably, it was the opening of one of Offian's other poems, tho' the bards injudiciously transferred it to the piece now before us.

"Congal fon of Fergus of Durath, thou light between thy locks, afcend to the rock of Selma, to the oak of the breaker of fhields. Look over the bofom of night, it is ftreaked with the red paths of the dead; look on the night of ghofts, and kindle, o Congal, thy foul. Be not, like the moon on a stream, 'lonely in the midst of clouds: darknefs clofes around it; and the beam departs. Depart not, fon of Fergus, ere thou markest the field with thy fword. Afcend

to the rock of Selina; to the oak of the breaker

of fhields."

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