their spirits may fly, with joy, to Morven's woody hills!" I touched the harp before the king, the found was mournful and low. "Bend forward from your clouds," I faid, "ghofts of my fathers! bend. Lay by the red terror of your courfe. Receive the falling chief; whether hemes from a distant land, or rises from the rolling fea. Let his robe of mist be near; his fpear that is formed of a cloud. Place an half-extinguished meteor by his fide, in the form of the hero's fword. And, oh! let his countenance be lovely, that his friends may delight in his prefence. Bend from your clouds,” I faid, "ghosts of my fathers! bend !”

Such was my fong, in Selma, to the lightly trembling harp. But Nathos was on Erin's fhore, furrounded by the night. He heard the voice of the foe, amidst the roar of tumbling waves. Silent he heard their voice, and rested on his fpear! Morning rofe, with its beams. The fons of Erin appear, like grey rocks, with all their trees, they fpread along the coast. Cairbar stood in the midft. He grimly fmiled when he faw the foe. Nathos.rufhed forward, in his ftrength: nor could Dar-thula stay behind. She came with the hero, lifting her fhining fpear. "And who are thefe, in their armour, in the pride of youth? Who but the fons of Ufnoth, Althos and darkhaired Ardan?"

"Come," faid Nathos, "come! chief of high Temora Let our battle be on the coaft, for the white-bofomed maid. His people are not with Nathos; they are behind thefe rolling feas. Why dost thou bring thy thousands against the chief of Etha? Thou didst fly * from him, in battle,

He alludes to the flight of Cairbar from Seláma,

battle, when his friends were around his fpear." "Youth of the heart of pride, fhall Erin's king • fight with thee? Thy fathers were not among the renowned, nor of the kings of men.

Are

the arms of foes in their halls? Or the shields of other times? Çairbar is renowned in Temora, nor does he fight with feeble men !”

He

The tear started from car-borne Nathos. turned his eyes to his brothers. Their fpears flew at once. Three heroes lay on earth. Then the light of their fwords gleamed on high. The ranks of Erin yield; as a ridge of dark clouds before a blaft of wind! Then Cairbar ordered his people, and they drew a thousand bows. A thousand arrows flew. The fons of Ufnoth fell in blood. They fell like three young oaks, which ftood alone on the hill: The traveller faw the lovely trees, and wondered how they grew fo lonely the blaft of the defart came, by night, and laid their green heads low; next day he returned, but they were withered, and the heath was bare !

Dar-thula ftood in filent grief, and beheld their fall! No tear is in her eye. But her look is wildly fad. Pale was her cheek. Her trembling lips broke fhort an half-formed word. Her dark hair flew on wind. The gloomy Cairbar came. "Where is thy lover now? the carborne chief of Etha? Haft thou beheld the halls of Ufnoth? Or the dark-brown hills of Fingal ? My battle would have roared on Morven, had not the winds met Dar-thula. Fingal himself would have been low, and forrow dwelling in Selma !" Her fhield fell from Dar-thula's arm. Her breaft of fnow appeared. It appeared; but it was ftained with blood. An arrow was fixed in her fide. She fell on the fallen Nathos, like a wreath

O 2

wreath of fnow! Her hair fpreads wide on his face. Their blood is mixing round!

"Daughter of Colla! thou art low!" faid Cairbar's hundred bards. "Silence is at the blue ftreams of Seláma. Truthil's * race have failed. When ilt thou rife in thy beauty, first of Erin's maids hy fleep is long in the tomb. The morning diftant far. The fun shall not come to thy bed and fay, " Awake Dar-thula awake, thou firft of women! the wind of fpring is abroad. The flowers fhake their heads on the green hills. The woods wave their growing leaves. Retire, O fun! the daughter of Colla is afleep. She will not come forth in her beauty. She will not move in the fteps of her lovelinefs !"

Such was the fong of the bards, when they raised the tomb. I fung over the grave, when the king of Morven came; when he came to green Erin to fight with car-born Cairbar!

Truthil was the founder of Dar-thula's family,

ARGUMENT.

Cuthullin, after the arms of Fingal had expelled Swaran from Ireland, continued to manage the affairs of that kingdom as the guardian of Cormac, the young king. In the third year of Cuthullin's administration, Torlath, the son of Cantéla, rebelled in Connaught; and advanced to Temora to dethrone Cormac. Cuthullin marched against him, came up with him at the lake of Lego, and totally defeated his forces. Torlath fell in battle by Cuthullin's hand; but as he too eagerly preffed on the enemy, he was mortally wounded. The affairs of Cormac, though, for fome time, fupported by Nathos, as mentioned in the preceding poem, fell into confufion at the death of Cuthullin. Cormac himself was flain by the rebel Cairbar; and the re-establishment of the royal family of Ireland by Fingal, furnishes the fubject of the epic poem of Temora,