High from their misty hills, look forth the blue eyes of Erin; for he is far away, young dweller of their souls! Nor, harmless, white hands of Erin! is Cathmor in the skirts of war; he rolls ten thousand before him, in his distant field."
"Not unseen by Ossian," I said, "rushed Cathmor from his streams, when he poured his strength on I-thorno,[1] isle of many waves! In strife met two kings in I-thorno, Culgorm and Suran-dronlo: each from his echoing isle, stern hunters of the boar!
"They met a boar, at a foamy stream: each pierced him with his spear. They strove for the fame of the deed; and gloomy battle rose. From isle to isle they sent a spear, broken and stained with blood, to call the friends of their fathers, in their sounding arms. Cathmor came, from Erin, to Culgorm, red-eyed king: I aided Suran-dronlo, in his land of boars.
"We rushed on either side of a stream, which roared through a blasted heath. High broken rocks were round, with all their bending trees. Near were two circles of Loda, with the stone of power; where spirits descended, by night, in dark-red streams of fire. There, mixed with the murmur of waters, rose the voice of aged men; they called the forms of night, to aid them in their war.
"Heedless I stood, with my people, where fell the foamy stream from rocks. The moon moved red from
- ↑ I-thorno, says tradition, was an island of Scandinavia.
she had seen him, previous to his joining her father's army; though tradition positively asserts, that it was after his return that she fell in love with him.
