Argument Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A B C D E F G G H G I J K L M N O I P Q R| 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 himself Night coming on Duth maruno proposes to Fingal to observe the motions of the enemy The king himself undertakes the watch Advancing towards the enemy he accidentally comes to the cave of Turthor where Starno had confined 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 |
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| The bards distinguished those compositions in which the narration is often interrupted by episodes and apostrophes by the name of Duan | B |
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| A TALE of the times of old | C |
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| 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 Lochlin 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 Morven in a land unknown | D |
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| 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 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 children 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 | E |
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| 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 | F |
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| Broad over them rose the moon | G |
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| 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 Crumthormo awaked its woods In the chase he shone among foes No fear was thine Duth maruno | G |
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| 'O 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 Their 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 Crathmocraulo's plain Around are hills with echoing woods the ocean is rolling near My son looks on screaming sea fowl a young wanderer on the field Give the head of a boar to Candona tell him of his father's joy when the bristly strength of U thorno rolled on his lifted spear Tell him of my deeds in war Tell where his father fell | H |
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| Not forgetful of my fathers said Fingal I have bounded over the seas Theirs were the times of danger in the days of old Nor settles darkness on me before foes though youthful in my locks Chief of Crathmocraulo the field of night is mine | G |
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| Fingal rushed in all his arms wide bounding over Turthor's stream that sent its sullen roar by night through Gormal's misty vale A moonbeam glittered on a rock in the midst stood a stately form a form with floating locks like Lochlin's white bosomed maids Unequal are her steps and short She throws a broken song on wind At times she tosses her white arms for grief is dwelling in her soul | I |
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| Torcal torno of aged locks she said where now are thy steps by Lulan Thou hast failed at thine own dark streams father of Conban cargla But I behold thee chief of Lulan sporting by Loda's hall when the dark skirted night is rolled along the sky Thou sometimes hidest the moon with thy shield I have seen her dim in heaven Thou kindlest thy hair into meteors and sailest along the night Why am I forgot in my cave king of shaggy boars Look from the hall of Loda on thy lonely daughter | J |
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| Who art thou said Fingal voice of night | K |
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| She trembling turned away | L |
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| Who art thou in thy darkness | M |
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| She shrunk into the cave | N |
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| The king loosed the thong from her hands He asked about her fathers | O |
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| Torcul torno she said once dwelt at Lulan's foamy stream he dwelt but now in Loda's hall he shakes the sounding shell He met Starno of Lochlin in war long fought the dark eyed kings My father fell in his blood blue shielded Torcul torno By a rock at Lulan's stream I had pierced the bounding roe My white hand gathered my hair from off the rushing winds I heard a noise Mine eyes were up My soft breast rose on high My step was forward at Lulan to meet thee Torcul torno It was Starno dreadful king His red eves rolled on me in love Dark waved his shaggy brow above his gathered smile Where is my father I said he that was mighty in war Thou art left alone among foes O daughter of Torcul torno He took my hand He raised the sail In this cave he placed me dark At times he comes a gathered mist He lifts before me my father's shield But often passes a beam of youth far distant from my cave The son of Starno moves in my sight He dwells lonely in my soul | I |
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| Maid of Lulan said Fingal white handed daughter of grief a cloud marked with streaks of fire is rolled along my soul Look not to that dark robed moon look not to those meteors of heaven My gleaming steel is around thee the terror of my foes It is not the steel of the feeble nor of the dark in soul The maids are not shut in our caves of streams They toss not their white arms alone They bend fair within their locks above the harps of Selma Their voice is not in the desert wild We melt along the pleasing sound | P |
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| Fingal again advanced his steps wide through the bosom of night to where the trees of Loda shook amid squally winds Three stones with heads of moss are there a stream with foaming course and dreadful rolled around them is the dark red cloud of Loda High from its top looked forward a ghost half formed of the shadowy stroke He poured his voice at times amidst the roaring stream Near bending beneath a blasted tree two heroes received his words Swaran of lakes and Starno foe of strangers On their dun shields they darkly leaned their spears are forward through night Shrill sounds the blast of darkness in Starno's floating beard | Q |
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| They heard the tread of Fingal The warriors rose in arms Swaran lay that wanderer low said Starno in his pride Take the shield of thy father It is a rock in war Swaran threw his gleaming spear It stood fixed in Loda's tree Then came the foes forward with swords They mixed their rattling steel Through the thongs of Swaran's shield rushed the blade of Luno The shield fell rolling on earth Cleft the helmet fell down Fingal stopt the lifted steel Wrathful stood Swaran unarmed He rolled his silent eyes he threw his sword on earth Then slowly stalking over the stream he whistled as | R |
James Macpherson
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