Berrathah Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A B C D E D F G H I J K L| ARGUMENT | A |
| - | |
| Fingal in his voyage to Lochlin whither he had been invited by Starno the father of Agandecca touched at Berrathon an island of Scandinavia where he was kindly entertained by Larthmor the petty king of the place who was a vassal of the supreme kings of Lochlin The hospitality of Larthmor gained him Fingal's friendship which that hero manifested after the imprisonment of Larthmor by his own son by sending Ossian and Toscar the father of Malvina so often mentioned to rescue Larthmor and to punish the unnatural behavior of Uthal Uthal was handsome and by the ladies much admired Nina thoma the beautiful daughter of Tor thoma a neighboring prince fell in love and fled with him He proved inconstant for another lady whose name is not mentioned gaining his affections he confined Nina thoma to a desert island near the coast of Berrathon She was relieved by Ossian who in company with Toscar landing on Berrathon defeated the forces of Uthal and killed him in single combat Nina thoma whose love not all the bad behavior of Uthal could erase hearing of his death died of grief In the mean time Larthmor is restored and Ossian and Toscar return in triumph to Fingal | B |
| - | |
| The poem opens with an elegy on the death of Malvina the daughter of Toscar and closes with the presages of Ossian's death | C |
| - | |
| - | |
| - | |
| BEND thy blue course O stream round the narrow plain of Lutha Let the green woods hang over it from their hills the sun 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 dost thou awake me O gale it seems to say I am covered with the drops of heaven The time of my fading is near the blast that shall scatter my leaves To morrow shall the traveller come he that saw me in my beauty shall come His eyes will search the field but they will not find me So shall they search in vain for the voice of Cona after it has failed in the field The hunter shall come forth in the morning and thee vote a of my harp shall not be heard Where is the son of car borne Fingal The tear will be on his cheek Then come thou O Malvina with all thy music come Lay Ossian in the plain of Lutha let his tomb rise in the lovely field | D |
| - | |
| Malvina where art thou with thy songs with the soft sound of thy steps Son of Alpin art thou near where is the daughter of Toscar I passed O son of Fingal by Torlutha's mossy walls The smoke of the hall was ceased Silence was among the trees of the hill The voice of the chase was over I saw the daughters of the bow I asked about Malvina but they answered not They turned their faces away thin darkness covered their beauty They were like stars on a rainy hill by night each looking faintly through the mist | E |
| - | |
| Pleasant be thy rest O lovely beam soon hast thou set on our hills The steps of thy departure were stately like the moon on the blue trembling wave But thou hast left us in darkness first of the maids of Lutha We sit at the rock and there is no voice no light but the meteor of fire Soon hast thou set O Malvina daughter of generous Toscar But thou risest like the beam of the east among the spirits of thy friends where they sit in their stormy halls the chambers of the thunder A cloud hovers over Cona Its blue curling sides are high The winds are beneath it with their wings Within it is the dwelling of Fingal There the hero sits in darkness His airy spear is in his hand His shield half covered with clouds is like the darkened moon when one half still remains in the wave and the other looks sickly on the field | D |
| - | |
| His friends sit round the king on mist They hear the songs of Ullin he strikes the half viewless harp He raises the feeble voice The lesser heroes with a thousand meteors light the airy hall Malvina rises in the midst a blush is on her cheek She beholds the unknown faces of her fathers She turns aside her humid eyes An thou come so soon said Fingal daughter of generous Toscar Sadness dwells in the halls of Lutha My aged son is sad I hear the breeze of Cona that was wont to lift thy heavy locks It comes to the hall but thou art not there Its voice is mournful among the arms of thy fathers Go with thy rustling wing O breeze sigh on Malvina's tomb It rises yonder beneath the rock at the blue stream of Lutha The maids are departed to their place Thou alone O breeze mournest there | F |
| - | |
| But who comes from the dusky west supported on a cloud A smile is on his gray watery face His locks of mist fly on wind He bends forward on his airy spear It is thy father Malvina Why shinest thou so soon on our clouds he says O lovely light of Lutha But thou wert sad my daughter Thy friends had passed away The sons of little men were in the hail None remained of the heroes but Ossian king of spears | G |
| - | |
| And dost thou remember Ossian car borne Toscar son of Conloch The battles of our youth were many Our swords went together to the field They saw us coming like two falling rocks The sons of the stranger fled There come the warriors of Cona they said Their steps are in the paths of the flying Draw near son of Alpin to the song of the aged The deeds of other times are in my soul My memory beams on the days that are past on the days of mighty Toscar when our path was in the deep Draw near son of Alpin to the last sound of the voice of Cona | H |
| - | |
| The king of Morven commanded I raised my sails to the wind Toscar chief of Lutha stood at my side I rose on the dark blue wave Our course was to sea surrounded Berrathon the isle of many storms There dwelt with his locks of age the stately strength of Larthmor Larthmor who spread the feast of shells to Fingal when he went to Starno's halls in the days of Agandecca But when the chief was old the pride of his son arose the pride of fair haired Uthal the love of a thousand maids He bound the aged Larthmor and dwelt in his sounding halls | I |
| - | |
| Long pined the king in his cave beside his rolling sea Day did not come to his dwelling nor the burning oak by night But the wind of ocean was there and the parting beam of the moon The red star looked on the king when it trembled on the western wave Snitho came to Selma's hall Snitho the friend of Larthmor's youth He told of the king of Berrathon the wrath of Fingal arose Thrice he assumed the spear resolved to stretch his hand to Uthal But the memory of his deeds rose before the king He sent his son and Toscar Our joy was great on the rolling sea We often half unsheathed our swords For never before had we fought alone in battles of the spear | J |
| - | |
| Night came down on the ocean The winds departed on their wings Cold and pale is the moon The red stars lift their heads on high Our course is slow along the coast of Berrathon The white waves tumble on the rocks What voice is that said Toscar which comes between the sounds of the waves It is soft hut mournful like the voice of departed bards But I behold a maid She sits on the rock alone Her head bends on her arms of snow Her dark hair is in the wind Hear son of Fingal her song it is smooth as the gliding stream We came to the silent bay and heard the maid of night | K |
| - | |
| How long will ye roll round me blue tumbling waters of ocean My dwelling was not always in caves nor beneath the whistling tree The feast was spread in Tor thoma's hall My father delighted in my voice The youths beheld me in the steps of my loveliness They blessed the dark haired Nina thoma It was then thou didst come O Uthal like the sun heaven The souls of the virgins are thine son of generous Larthmor But why dost thou leave me alone in the midst of roaring waters Was my soul dark with thy death Did my while hand lift the sword Why then hast thou left me alone king of high Fin thormo | L |
James Macpherson
(1)
Poem topics: , Print This Poem , Rhyme Scheme
Submit Spanish Translation
Submit German Translation
Submit French Translation
Write your comment about Berrathah poem by James Macpherson
Best Poems of James Macpherson