the west 30 Thy breasts are two smooth rocks seen from Branno of streams. Thy arms like two white pillars, in the halls of the great Fingal. "From whence," the fair-haired maid replied, "from whence, Duchomar, most gloomy of men? Dark are thy brows and terrible! Red are thy rolling eyes! Does Swaran appear on the sea? What of the foe, Duchomar ?" "From the hill I return, O Morna, from the hill of the dark-brown hinds. Three have I slain with my bended yew. Three with my long bounding dogs of the chace. Lovely daughter of Cormac, I love thee as my soul! I have slain one stately deer for thee. High was his branchy head; and fleet his feet of wind." "Duchomar!" calm 3o But thou art snow on the heath, thy hair is the mist of Cromla; when it curls on the hill; when it shines to the beam of the west.] In the Fragments, "like a thin cloud of gold, on the top of Cromleach.” “Behold thou art fair, my love, behold thou art fair! thou hast doves eyes between thy locks; thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from Mount Gilead.” “Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies."---Song of Sol. iv. 1. 5. converted into, "Thy breasts are like two smooth rocks, seen from Branno of streams. Thy arms like two white pillars in the halls of the great Fingal :" an alteration of," his legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold."---Id. v. 15. the maid replied, "I love thee not, thou gloomy man! hard is thy heart of rock; dark is thy terrible brow. But Cathba, young son of Torman, thou art the love of Morna. Thou art a sun-beam, in the day of the gloomy storm. Sawest thou the son of Torman, lovely on the hill of his hinds? Here the daughter of Cormac waits the coming of Cathba!". Long shall Morna wait," Duchomar said, "long shall Morna wait for Cathba! Behold this sword unsheathed! Here wanders the blood of Cathba. Long shall Morna wait. He fell by the stream of Branno 3! On Cromla I will raise his tomb, daughter of blue-shielded Cormac! Turn on Duchomar thine eyes; his arm is strong as a storm 3." "Is the son of Torman fallen ?" said the wildly-bursting voice of the " Long shall Morna wait, Duchomar said, long shall Morna wait for Cathba! Behold his sword unsheathed! Here wanders the blood of Cathba. Long shall Morna wait. He fell by the stream of Branno.] From the Braes of Yarrow: Lang maun she weep, lang maun she, maun she weep, Lang maun she weep with dule and sorrow; And lang maun I nae mair weil be seen Puing the birks on the braes of Yarrow. 32 On Cromla, I will raise his tomb, daughter of blue-shielded Cormac, Turn on Duchomar thine eyes; his arm is strong as a storm.] Id. maid. "Is he fallen on his echoing hills, the youth with the breast of snow? The first in the chace of hinds? The foe of the strangers of ocean? Thou art dark to me, Duchomar, cruel is thine arm to Morna! Give me that sword, my foe! I love the wandering blood of Cathba 33 !" He gave the sword to her tears. She pierced his manly breast 34! He fell, like the bank of a mountain stream 35, and stretching forth his hand Then build, then build, ye sisters, sisters sad, O'er rashly bauld, a stronger arm Thou met'st, and fell on the Braes of Yarrow. He fell by the stream of Branno. 66 Why runs thy stream, O! this pathetic ballad, by Ha Yarrow, Yarrow red." And from milton of Bangour, not only the subject, but the dialogue form of the Fragment is taken. 33 Give me that sword!-I love the wandering blood of Cathba.] And, in the first edition, Long shall Morna wait, Duchomar said, his blood is on my sword." Supra, n. 31. My lover's blood is on my spear, How canst thou ever bid me love thee? 34 She pierced his manly breast.] Id. The fatal spear that pierced his breast, His comely breast, on the braes of Yarrow. 35 Fell like the bank of a mountain stream.] Dissultant ripæ. Supra, n. ". She demands the sword, as she loved the blood of her lover, and on obtaining it, stabs Duchomar, who, desiring her to draw the cold steel from his breast, stabs her in he spoke. "Daughter of blue-shielded Cormac! Thou hast slain me in youth! The sword is cold in my breast: Morna, I feel it cold. Give me to Moina, the maid 36. Duchomar was But the translator return, we know not how, nor with what. had prepared an incident, still more ridiculous, which he was ashamed to revive; "As she fell, she plucked a stone from the side of the cave, and placed it between them, that his blood might not be mingled with hers." Frag. Sic tibi, quum fluctus subter labera Sicanos, Doris amara suam non intermisceat undam. 36 Morna---give me to Moina the maid.] The signification of the names, in this Fragment, are, Dubhchomar, a black wellshaped man: Fearguth, (Fergus) the man of the word; Muirne, or, Morna, a woman beloved of all; Cormac-Cairbre, (her father,) an unequalled and rough warrior; Cromleach, a crooked hill; Mogruch, (Duchomar's father) a surly looking man; Torman, thunder, the true origin of the Jupiter Taramis, of the antients. Moine, soft in temper and person. ---MACPHERSON. Fragments. These names, as usual, are all from Toland. "Cabadius," (Cathba, the son of Torman), "grandfather to the celebrated champion, Cuculland. Tages, the father of Morna, mother to the no less famous Fin Mac Cuil. Eogan, married to Moinic, daughter of the druid, Dill: the druid, Mogruch, the stoutest man in the wars of king Cormac ; no less valiant was Dubcomar, the chief druid of king Fiacha, and Lugadius Mac Con, the abdicated king of Ireland, treacherously run through with a lance by the druid Firchisus." (or, according to the Irish orthography, in Toland's notes, Cathbaitt Dubhchomar, Fearchiois, or, Fergus. Hist. Druid, 55) "Precepts written by king Cormac, to his son and successor, Cairbre Liffecair," (id. 51). "These altars the Britons termed Cromleach, the Irish Cromleach, from the dream of her night! She will raise my tomb; the hunter shall raise my fame. But draw the sword from my breast. Morna, the steel is cold!" She came, in all her tears, she came; she drew the sword from his breast. He pierced her white side! He spread her fair locks on the ground! Her bursting blood sounds from her side: her white arm is stained with red. Rolling in death she lay. The cave re-echoed to her sighs." "Peace," said Cuthullin, "to the souls of the heroes! their deeds were great in fight. Let them ride around me on shew their features of war. clouds. Let them My soul shall then be firm in danger; mine arm, like the thunder of heaven! But be thou on a moon-beam, O Morna! near the window of my rest 37; when my "Tor Crom, bent (crooked); lech, a stone."---(Id. 96). man, thunder, whence the Romans called the Gallic Jupiter, Taramis, the thunderer." Id. 97. Supra, n. 1. 37 Be thou on a moon-beam, near the window of my rest.} En. iii. 148. Effigies sacræ divium Phrygiæque penates, Quos mecum a Troia mediisque ex ignibus urbis In somnis, multo manifesti lumine, qua se Plena per insertas fundebat luna fenestras. |