die in youth, when their renown is heard! The feeble will not behold them in the hall; or fmile at their trembling hands. Their memory shall be honoured in the fong; the young tear of the virgin falls. But the aged wither away, by degrees, and the fame of their youth begins to be forgot. They fall in fecret; the figh of their fon is not heard. Joy is around their tomb; and the stone of their fame is placed without a tear. Happy are they who die in youth, when their renown is around them! A POEM. BEND END thy blue courfe, O ftream, round the narrow plain of Lutha (2). Let the green (1) This poem is reputed to have been compofed by Offian, a little time before his death; and confequently it is known in tradition by no other name than Offian's laft hymn. The tranflator has taken the liberty to call it Berrathon, from the epifode concerning the re-establishment of Larthmor king of that ifland after he had been dethroned by his own fon Uthal. Fingal in his voyage to Lochlin [ Fing. B. III. ], whither he had been invited by Starno the father of Agandecca, so often mentioned in Offian's poems, touched at Berrathon, an island of Scandinavia, where he was kindly entertained by Larthmor the petty king of the place, who was a vaffal of the fupreme kings of Lochlin. The hofpitality of Larthmor gained him Fingal's friendship, which that hero manifested, after the imprisonment of Larthmor by his own fon, by fending Offian and Tofcar, the father of Malvina so often mentioned , to rescue Larthmor, and to punish the unnatural behaviour of Uthal. Úthal was handfome to a proverb, and confequently much admired by the ladies. Nina-thoma the beautiful daughter of Torthóma, a neighbouring prince, fell in love and fled with him. He proved unconftant; for another lady, whofe name is not mentioned, gaining is affections, he confined Ninathoma to a defert island near the coaft of Berrathon. She was relieved by Offian, who, in company with Tofcar, landing on Berrathon, defeated woods hang over it from their mountains: and the fun look on it at noon. The thistle is there on its rock, and shakes its beard to the wind. The flower hangs its heavy head, waving, at times, to the gale. Why doft thou awake me O gale, it feems to fay, I am covered with the drops of heaven? The time of my fading is near, and the the forces of Uthal, and killed him in a fingle combat. Nina-thoma, whofe love not all the bad behaviour of Uthal could erase, hearing of his death, died of grief. In the mean time Larth'mor is restored, and Offian and Tofcar returned in triumph to Fingal. The prefent poem opens with an elegy on the death of Malvina the daughter of Tofcar and clofes with prefages of the poet's death. It is almoft altogether in a lyric meafure, and has that melancholy air which distinguishes the remains of the works of Offian. If ever he composed any thing of a merry turn, it is long fince loft. The serious and melancholy make the moft lafting impreffions on the human mind, and bid fairest for being tranfmitted from generation to generation by tradition. Nor is it probable that Offian dealt much in chearful compofition. Melancholy is fo much the companion of a great genius, that it is difficult to feparate the idea of levity from chearfulness, which is fometimes the mark of an amiable difpofition but never the characteristic of elevated parts. (2) Lutha, Swift ftream. It is impoffible, at this diftance of time, to afcertain where the fcene here defcribed lies. Tradition is filent on that head, and there is nothing in the poem from which a conje&ure can be drawn. |
