of the noble Calinar? Does not Alclétha behold his fpear But her eyes are dim! Is it not the fon of Matha, daughter of my love? It is but an aged oak, Alclétha! replied the lovely weeping Alona (1); it is but an oak, Alclétha, bent over Lara's ftream. But who comes along the plain? forrow is in his fpeed. He lifts high the fpear of Calmar. Alclétha, it is covered with blood! But it is covered with the blood of foes (2), fifter of car-borne Calmar! his fpear never returned unftained with blood (3), nor his bow from the ftrife of the mighty. The battle is confumed in his prefence: he is a flame of death, Alona -Youth (4) of the mournful fpeed! where is the fon of Alclétha? Does he return with his fame? in the midst of his echoing shields?—Thou art dark and filent! -Calmar is then no more. Tell me not (1) Alúine, exquifitely beautiful. (2) Alclétha fpeaks. (3) From the blood of the flain of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan from the fat returned not back, and the fword of Saul returned not empty. 2 Sam. i. 22. Calmar's (4) She addreffes herself to Larnir, friend who had returned with the news of his death. warrior, how he fell, for I cannot hear of his wound. Why doft thou look towards the defart, mother of car-borne Calmar ?— Such was the fong of Carril, when Cuchullin fay on his shield: the bards rested on their harps, and fleep fell foftly around.-The fon of Semo was awake alone; his foul was fixed on the war.-The burning oaks began to decay; faint red light is fpread around.A feeble voice is heard: the ghost of Calmar came. He talked in the beam. Dark is the wound in his fide. His hair is disordered and loofe. Joy fits darkly on his face : and he feems to invite Cuchullin to his cave. Son of the cloudy night! faid the rifing chief of Erin; Why doft thou bend thy dark eyes on me ghoft of the car-borne Calmar ? Wouldst thou frighten me, O Matha's fon! from the battles of Cormac? Thy hand was not feeble in war; neither was thy voice (1) for peace. How art thou changed, chief of Lara! if thou now doft advise to fly!-But, Calmar, I never fled. I never feared (2) the ghofts of the defart. Small is their knowledge, ? 1 (1) See Calmar's fpeech, in the first book of Fingal. (2) See Cuchullin's reply to Connal, concerning Crugal's ghoft. Fing. b. 2. and weak their hands; their dwelling is in the wind. But my foul grows in danger, and rejoices in the noife of fteel. Retire thou to thy cave; thou art not Calmar's ghost; he delighted in battle, and his arm was like the thunder of heaven. He retired in his blaft with joy, for he had heard the voice of his praise. The faint beam of the morning rofe, and the found of Caithbat's buckler fpread. Green Ullin's warriors convened, like the roar of many ftreams.-The horn of war is heard over Lego; the mighty Torlath came. Why doft thou come with thy thousands, Cuchullin, faid the chief of Lego. I know the ftrength of thy arm, and thy foul is an unextinguished fire.-Why fight we not on the plain, and let our hofts behold our deeds? Let them behold us like roaring waves, that tumble round a rock: the mariners haften away, and look on their ftrife with fear. foul; Thou rifeft, like the fun, on my replied the fon of Semo. Thine arm is mighty, O'Torlath! and worthy of my wrath. Retire, ye men of Ullin, to Slimora's shady fide; behold the chief of Erin, in the day of his fame.-Carril! tell to mighty Connal, if Cuchullin muft fall, tell him I accufed the winds which roar on Togorma's waves.→ Never was he abfent in battle, when the ftrife of my fame arofe.-Let this fword be before Cormac, like the beam of heaven: let his counsel found in Temora in the day of danger. He rushed, in the found of his arms, like the terrible spirit of Loda (1), when he comes in the roar of a thousand storms, and scatters battles from his eyes. He fits on a cloud over Lochlin's feas: his mighty hand is on his fword, and the winds lift his flaming locks.-So terrible was Cuchullin in the day of his fame.-Torlath fell by his hand, and Lego's heroes mourned. They gather around the chief like the clouds of the (1) Loda, in the third book of Fingal, is men tioned as a place of worship in Scandinavia by the Spirit of Loda, the poet probably means Odin the great deity of the northern nations. He is defcribed here with all his terrors about him not unlike Mars, as he his introduced in a fimile, in the feventh Iliad. · οἷός τε πελώριος ἔρχεται Αρης Ο'ς τ ̓ εἶσιν πόλειόνδε μετ ̓ ἀνέρας, οὓς τε Κρονίων Θυμοβόρα ἔριδα μένει ξυνέηκε μάχεσθαι. So ftalks in arms the grifly god of Thrace, defart.-A thousand swords rofe at once; thousand arrows flew; but he ftood like a rock in the midft of a roaring fea. They fell around; he ftrode in blood: dark Slimora echoed wide.-The fons of Ullin came, and the battle fpread over Lego.-The chief of Erin overcame; he returned over the field with his fame. But pale he returned! The joy of his face was dark. He rolled his eyes in filence.The fword hung, unsheathed, in his hand, and his fpear bent at every step. Carril, faid the king in fecret, the strength of Cuchullin fails. My days are with the years that are paft: and no morning of mine shall arife. They shall feek me at Temora, but I shall not be found. Cormac will weep in his hall, and fay, « Where is Tura's chief? »— But my name is renowned! my fame in the fong of bards.-The youth will fay in fecret, Olet me die as Cuchullin died; renown cloathed him like a robe; and the light of his fame is great. Draw the arrow from my fide; and lay Cuchullin beneath that oak. Place the shield of Caithbat near, that they may behold me amidst the arms of my fathers. And is the fon of Semo fallen (1), faid (1) The Irish hiftorians have placed Cuchullin |