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A POE M.

DAUGHTER of heaven (1), fair art thou! the filence of thy face is pleasant. Thou comeft

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(1) It may not be improper here, to give the story which is the foundation of this poem, at it is handed down by tradition. Ufnoth lord of Etha, which is probably that part of Argyleshire which is near Loch Eta an arm of the fea in Lorn, had three fons, Nathos, Althos, and Ardan by Sliffama, the daughter of Semo and fifter to the celebrated Cuchullin. The three brothers, when very young, were fent over to Ireland, by their father to learn the use of arms, under their uncle Cuchullin, who made a great figure in that kingdom. They were just landed in Ulfter when the news of Cuchullin's death arrived. Nathos, though very young, took the command of Cuchullin's army, made head against Cairbar the ufurper and defeated him in feveral battles. Cairbar at laft having found means to murder Cormac the law. ful king, the army of Nathos shifted fides and he himself was obliged to return into Ulfter, in order to pass over into Scotland.

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Dar-thula, the daughter of Colla, with whom Cairbar vas in love, refided, at that time, in Seláma a castle in Ulfter she faw, fell in love, and fled with Nathos; but a storm rifing at fea, they were unfortunately driven back on that part of the coast of Ulfter, where Cairbar was encamped with his ar¬ my, waiting for Fingal vho meditated an expedition into Ireland, to re-establish the Scotch race

forth in loveliness: the ftars attend thy blue fteps in the eaft. The clouds rejoice in thy prefence, O moon, and brighten their darkbrown fides. Who is like thee in heaven daughter of the night The ftars are ashamed in thy prefence, and turn afide their green, fparkling eyes.-Whither doft thou retire from thy course, when the darkness (1) of thy countenance grows? Haft thou thy hall like Offian Dwelleft thou in the shadow of grief? Have thy fifters fallen from heaven? Are they who rejoiced with thee at night, no more? - Yes! they have fallen, fair light! and thou doft often retire to mourn.

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of kings on the throne of that kingdom. The three brothers, after having defended themselves for fome time, with great bravery, were overpowered and flain, and the unfortunate Dar-thula killed herself upon the body of her beloved Nathos,

Offian opens the poem, on the night preceding the death of the fons of Ufnoth, and brings in by way of epifode, what paffed before. He relates the death of Dar-thula differently from the common tradition; his account is the most probable, as fuicide feems to have been unknown in those early times for no traces of it are found in the eld poetry.

(1) The addrefs to the moon is very beautiful in the original. It is in a lyric measure, and ap pears to have been fung to the harp.

(2) The peer means the moon in her wane,

-But thou thyfelf shalt fail, one night, and leave thy blue path in heaven. The stars will then lift their green heads: they who were ashamed in thy prefence, will rejoice.

Thou art now clothed with thy_brightnefs? look from thy gates in the sky. Burft the cloud, O wind, that the daughter of night may look forth, that the shaggy mountains may brighten, and the ocean roll its blue waves in light.

Nathos (1) is on the deep, and Althos that beam of youth, Ardan is near his brothers; they move in the gloom of their course. The fons of Ufnoth move in darkness, from the wrath of car-borne Cairbar (3).

Who is that dim, by their fide! the night has covered her beauty. Her hair, fighs on ocean's wind; her robe ftreams in dusky wreaths. She is like the fair fpirit of heaven, in the midst of his shadowy mist. Who is it but Dar-thula (3), the first of Erin's

(1) Nathos fignifies youthful, Ailthos, exquisite beauty, Ardan; pride.

(2) Cairbar, who murdered Cormac king of Ire→ land, and ufurped the throne. He was afterwards killed by Ofcar the fon of Offian in a fingle combat. The poet, upon other occafions, gives him the epithet of red-haired.

(3) Dar-thúla, or Dart-'huile, a woman with fine

maids! She has fled from the love of Cair bar, with the car-borne Nathos. But the winds deceive thee, O Dar-thula ; and deny the woody Etha to thy fails. These are not thy mountains, Nathos, nor is that the roar of thy climbing waves. The halls of Cairbar are near; and the towers of the foe lift their heads. Ullin ftretches its green head into the fea; and Tura's bay receives the ship. Where have ye been, ye fouthern winds! when the fons of my love were deceived? But ye have been fporting on plains, and pursuing the thiftle's beard. O that ye had been ruftling in the fails of Nathos, till the hills of Etha rofe! till they rose in their clouds, and faw their coming chief! Long haft thou been abfent, Nathos! and the day of thy return is past (1).

But the land of ftrangers faw thee, lovely thou waft lovely in the eyes of Darthula. Thy face was like the light of the morning, thy hair like the raven's wing. Thy

eyes. She was the most famous beauty of antiqui ty. To this day, when a woman is praised for her beauty, the common phrase is, that she is_as_lo vely as Dar-thula.

(1) That is, the day appointed by deftiny. We find no deity in Offian's poetry, if fate is nos one; of that he is very full in fome of his poems in the tranflator's hands,

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