ARGUMENT-FINGAL dispatches Ossian and Toscar, the son of Conloch and father of Malvina, to raise a stone on the banks of the stream of Crona, to perpetuate the memory of a victory which he had obtained in that place. When they were employed in that work, Car-ul, a neighbouring chief, invited them to a feast. They went, and Toscar fell desperately in love with Colna-dona, the daughter of Car-ul. Colna-dona became no less ena moured of Toscar. An incident at a hunting party brings their loves to a happy issue. COLNA-DONA. COL-AMON* of troubled streams, dark wanderer of distant vales, I behold thy course between trees near Car-ul's echoing halls! There dwelt bright Colna-dona, the daughter of the king. Her eyes were rolling stars; her arms were white as the foam of streams. Her breast rose slowly to sight, like ocean's heaving wave. Her soul was a stream of light. Who, among the maids, was like the love of heroes? Beneath the voice of the king we moved to Cronat of the streams, Toscar of grassy Lutha, and Ossian, young in fields. Three bards attended with songs. Three bossy shields were borne before us: for we were to rear the stone * Colna-dona signifies the love of heroes. Col-amon, narrow river、 Car-ul, dark-eyed. Col-amon, the residence of Car-ul, was in the neighbourhood of Agricola's wall, towards the south. Car-ul seems to have been of the race of those Britons who are distinguished by the name of Maiatæ by the writers of Rome. Maiatæ is derived from two Galic words, Moi, a plain, and Aitich, inhabitants; so that the signification of Maiatæ is, the inhabitants of the plain country; a name given to the Britons who were settled in the Lowlands, in contradis tinction to the Caledonians; (i. e. Cael-Don, the Gauls of the hills,) who were possessed of the more mountainous division of North Britain. + Crona, murmuring, was the name of a small stream which dis charged itself in the river Carron. It is often mentioned by Ossian, and the scenes of many of his poems are on its banks. The enemies whom Fingal defeated here are not mentioned; they were probably the provincial Britons. That tract of country between the Friths of Forth and Clyde has been, through all antiquity, famous for battles and rencounters between the different nations who were possessed of North and South Britain. Stirling, a town situated there, derives its name from that very circumstance. It is a corruption of the Galic Bame Strila, i. e. the hill or rock of contention. in memory of the past. By Crona's mossy course Fingal had scattered his foes: he had rolled away the strangers like a troubled sea. We came to the place of renown: from the mountains descended night. I tore an oak from its hill, and raised a flame on high. I bade my fathers to look down from the clouds of their hall; for, at the fame of their race they brighten in the wind. I took a stone from the stream, amidst the song of bards. The blood of Fingal's foes hung curdled in its ooze. Beneath I placed, at intervals, three bosses from the shields of foes, as rose or fell the sound of Ullin's nightly song. Toscar laid a dagger in earth, a mail of sounding steel. We raised the mould around the stone, and bade it speak to other years. Oozy daughter of streams, that now art reared on high, speak to the feeble, O stone! after Selma's race have failed! Prone from the stormy night, the traveller shall lay him by thy side: thy whistling moss shall sound in his dreams; the years that were past shall return. Battles rise before him, blue-shielded kings descend to war: the darkened moon looks from heaven on the troubled field. He shall burst with morning from dreams, and see the tombs of warriors round. He shall ask about the stone, and the aged shall reply, "This grey stone was raised by Ossian, a "chief of other years!" |