AND

COLMA L:

A POEM. (1)

PLEASANT is the voice of thy song, thou lonely dweller of the rock. It comes on

(1) This piece, as many more of Offian's compofitions, is addreffed to one of the first Christian millionaries.The ftory of the poem is handed down, by tradition, thus.In the country of the Britons between the walls, two chiefs lived in the days of Fingal, Dunthalmo, lord of Teutha, fuppofed to be the Tweed; and Rathmor, who dwelt at Clutha well known to be the river Clyde. Rathmor was not more renowned for his generofity and hofpitality, than Dunthalmo was infamous for his cruelty and ambition.

Dunthalmo, through envy, or on account of some private feuds, which fubfifted between the families, murdered Rathmor at a feaft; but being afterwards touched with remorfe, he educated the two fons of Rathmor, Calthon and Colmar, in his own house. They growing up to man's eftare, dropped fome hints that they intended to revenge the death of their father, upon which Dunthalmo shut them up in two caves on the banks of Teutha, intending to take them off privately.—Col

the found of the ftream, along the narrow vale. My foul awakes, O ftranger! in the midst of my hall. I ftretch my hand to the fpear, as in the days of other years.-1 ftretch my hand, but it is feeble'; and the figh of my bofom grows.- Wilt thou not liften, fon of the rock, to the song of Offian? My foul is full of other times; the joy of my youth returns. Thus the fun (1) appears

mal, the daughter of Dunthalmo, who was fe cretly in love with Calthon, helped him to make his efcape from prifon, and fled with him to Fingal, difguifed in the habit of a young war rior, and implored his aid against Dunthalmo.Fingal fent Offian with three hundred men Colmar's relief. Dunthalmo having previously murdered Colmar, came to a battle with Offian; but he was killed by that hero, and his army totally defeated.

to

Calthon married Colmal his deliverer; and Offian returned to Morven.

(1) If chance the radiant fun with farewel sweet Extend his evening beam, the fields revive, The birds their notes renew, and bleating herds Attest their joy, that bill and valley rings.

MILTON.

The fair fun-shine in fummer's day;
When a dreadful ftorm away is flit

Through the broad world doth spread his goodly

ray';

in the weft, after the fteps of his brightness. have moved behind a storm; the green hills lift their dewy heads: the blue streams rejoice in the vale. The aged hero comes forth on: his ftaff, and his grey hair glitters in the

beam.

Doft thou not behold, fon of the rock, a, shield in Offian's hall? It is marked with the ftrokes of battle; and the brightness of its boffes has failed. That shield the great Dunthalmo bore, the chief of ftreamy Teutha.Dunthalmo bore it in battle, before he fell by Offian's fpear. Liften, fon of the rock, to the tale of other years.

Rathmor was a chief of Clutha. The feeble dwelt in his hall. The gates of Rathmor, were never closed; his feaft was always fpread. The fons of the ftranger came, and bleffed the generous chief of Clutha. Bards raised the fong, and touched the harp and joy brightened on the face of the mournful.Dunthalmo came, in his pride, and rushed into the combat of Rathmor. The chief of Clutha overcame: the rage of Dunthalmo

At fight whereof each bird that fits on spray,
And every beaft that to his den was fled,
Come forth afresh out of their late dismay,
And to the light lift up, their drooping head.

SPENCIA

rofe. He came, by night, with his warriors; and the mighty Rathmor fell. He fell in his halls, where his feaft was often spread for ftrangers.

Colmar and Calthon were young, the fons of car-borne Rathmor. They came, in the joy of youth, into their father's hall. They behold him in his, blood, and their bursting tears defcend. The foul of Dunthalmo melted, when he faw the children of youth; he brought them to Alteutha's (1) walls; they grew in the houfe of their foe. They bent the bow in his presence; and came forth to his battles.

They faw the fallen walls of their fathers; they faw the green thorn in the hall. Their tears defcended in fecret; and, at times, their faces were mournful. Dunthalmo beheld their grief: his darkening foul defigned their death. He clofed them in two caves, on the echoing banks of Teutha. The fun did not come there with his beams; nor the moon of heaven by night. The fons of Rathmor remained in darkness, and forefaw their death.

(1) Al-teutha, or rather Balteutha, the town of Tweed, the name of Dunthalmo's feat. It is obfervable that all the names in this poem, are derived from the Galic language; which, as I have remarked in a preceding note, is a proof that it was once the universal language of the whole ifland.

The

The daughter of Dunthalmo wept in filence, the fair-haired, blue-eyed Colmal (1). Her eye had rolled in fecret on Calthon; his lovelinefs fwelled in her foul. She trembled for her warrior; but what could Colmal do? Her arm could not lift the fpear; nor was the fword formed for her fide. Her white breaft never rose beneath a mail. Neither was her eye the terror of heroes. What canft thou do, Ó Colmal! for the falling chief? Her fteps are unequal; her hair is loose: her eye looks wildly through her tears. She came, by night, to the hall (2); and armed her lovely form in fteel; the fteel of a young warrior, who fell in the first of his battles. She came to the cave of Calthon, and loofed the thong from his hands.

Arife, fon of Rathmor, she faid, arife the night is dark. Let us fly to the king of

(1) Caol-mhal, a woman with small eye-brows fmall eye-brows were a diftinguishing part of beauty in Offian's time: and he feldom fails to give them to the fine women of his poems.

(2) That is, the hall where the arms taken from enemies were hung up as trophies. Offian is very careful to make his ftories probable; for he makes Colmal put on the arms of a youth killed in his first battle, as more proper for a young woman, who cannot be fuppofed ftrong enough to carry the armour of a full-grown warrior.

VOL. II.

H