Nos in Ilæ freto Antequam Orn rex caderet Egimus gladiorum ad cædem Pauci potuerunt inde lætari Hybernorum sanguinis in oceanum Alte gladius mordebat clypeos Hasta fricabat loricas Videre licuit in Onlugs insula Rubicundum erat circa insulam At volans Draco vulnerum. Quid est viro forti morte certius Qui nunquam premitur Malum ferunt timidum incitare Aquilam ad gladiorum ludum Hoc numero æquum ut procedat Juvenis unus contra alterum Non retrocedat vir a viro Hoc fuit viri fortis nobilitas diu Semper debet amoris amicus virginum Hoc videtur mihi re vera Quod fata sequimur Rarus transgreditur fata Parcarum De vitæ exitu meæ Cum ego sanguinem semimortuus tegerem Et naves in aquas protrusi Passim impetravimus tum feris Escam in Scotia sinubus. Hoc ridere me facit semper Bibemus cerevisiam brevi Ex concavis crateribus craniorum Hic vellent nunc omnes Quem non pauci angues Matrem accepi meis Filiis ita ut corda valeant. Valde inclinatur ad hæreditatem Crudele stat nocumentum a vipera Anguis inhabitat aulam cordis Speramus alterius ad Othini Non acres juvenes Sessionem tranquillam facient. Habeo quinquagies Prælia sub signis facta Ex belli invitatione et semel Minime putavi hominum Quod me futurus esset Juvenis didici mucronem rubefacers Alius rex præstantior Nos Asæ invitabunt Non est lugenda mors. Fert animus finire Invitant me Dysæ Quas ex Othini aula Lætus cerevisiam cum Asia In summa sede bibam Vita elapsæ sunt or Ridens moriar. CATH-LODA. ARGUMENT OF DUAN 1. Fingal when very young, making a voyage to the Orkney Islands, was driven by stress of weather into a bay of Scandinavia, near the residence of Starno, king of Lochlin. Starno invites Fingal to a feast. Fingal, doubting the faith of the king, and mindful of a former breach of hospitality, refuses to go.-Starno gathers together his tribes; Fingal resolves to defend himsel-Night coming on, Duth-maruno proposes to Fingal to observe the mo tions of the enemy.-The king himself undertakes the watch Advancing towards the enemy, he accidentally comes to the cave of Turthor, where Starno had contined Conban-Cargla, the captive daughter of a neighboring chief-Her story is imperfect, a part of the original being lost.-Fingal comes to a place of worship, where Starno, and his son Swaran, consulted the spirit of Loda concerning the issue of the war.-The rencounter of Fingal and Swaran.-Duan first concludes with a description of the airy hall of Cruth-loda, supposed to be the Odin of Scandinavia. A TALE of the times of old! Why, thou wanderer unseen! thou bender of the thistle of Lora; why, thou breeze of the valley, hast thou left mine ear? I hear no distant roar of streams! No sound of the harp from the rock! Come, thou huntress of Lutha, Malvina, call back his soul to the bard. I look forward to Lochin of lakes, to the dark billowy bay of U-thorno, where Fingal descends from ocean, from the roar of winds. Few are the heroes of Mor. ven in a land unknown! Starno sent a dweller of Loda to bid Fingal to the feast; but the king remembered the past, and all his rage arose. "Nor Gormal's mossy towers, nor Starno, shall Fingal behold. Deaths wander, like shadows, over his fiery soul! Do I forget that beam of light, the The bards distinguished those compositions in which the nar ration is often interrupted by episodes and apostrophes, by the gaine of Duan. white-handed daughter of kings ?* Go, son of Loda; his words are wind to Fingal: wind, that, to and fro drives the thistle in autumn's dusky vale. Duth-maruno, arm of death! Cromma-glas, of Iron shields! Struthmor, dweller of battle's wing! Cromar, whose ships bound on seas, careless as the course of a meteor, on dark-rolling clouds! Arise around me, chil. dren of heroes, in a land unknown! Let each look on his shield like Trenmor, the ruler of wars."—"Come down," thus Trenmor said, "thou dweller between the harps! Thou shalt roll this stream away, or waste with me in earth." Around the king they rise in wrath. No words come forth: they seize their spears. Each soul is rolled into itself. At length the sudden clang is waked on all their echoing shields. Each takes his hill by night; at intervals they darkly stand. Unequal bursts the hum of songs, between the roaring wind! Broad over them rose the moon! In his arms came tall Duth-maruno: he, from Croma of rocks, stern hunter of the boar! In his dark boat he rose on waves, when Crumthormot awaked its woods. In the chase he shone, among foes: No fear was thine, Duth-maruno! Their "Son of daring Comhal, shall my steps be forward through night? From this shield shall I view them, over their gleaming tribes? Starno, king of lakes, is before me, and Swaran, the foe of strangers. words are not in vain, by Loda's stone of power. Should Duth-maruno not return, his spouse is lonely at home, where meet two roaring streams on Crath. mocraulo's plain. Around are hills, with echoing woods; the ocean is rolling neur. My son looks on Agandecca, the daughter of Starno, whom her father killed, in account of her discovering to Fingal a plot laid against his life. + Crumthormoth, one of the Orkney or Shetland Islands |