Fingal - Book Ii Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: A B C D E B B F G B H I I| ARGUMENT | A |
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| The ghost of Crugal one of the Irish heroes who was killed in battle appearing to Connal foretells the defeat of Cuthullin in the next battle and earnestly advises him to make peace with Swaran Connal communicates the vision but Cuthullin is inflexible from a principle of honor he would not be the first to sue for peace and he resolved to continue the war Morning comes Swaran proposes dishonorable terms to Cuthullin which are rejected The battle begins and is obstinately fought for some time until upon the flight of Grumal the whole Irish army gave way Cuthullin and Connal cover their retreat Carril leads them to a neighboring hill whither they are soon followed by Cuthullin himself who descries the fleet of Fingal making towards their coast but night coming on he lost sight of it again Cuthullin dejected after his defeat attributes his ill success to the death of Ferda his friend whom he had killed some time before Carril to show that ill success did not always attend those who innocently killed their friends introduces the episode of Connal and Galvina | B |
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| Connal lay by the sound of the mountain stream beneath the aged tree A stone with its moss supported his head Shrill through the heath of Lena he heard the voice of night At distance from the heroes he lay the son of the sword feared no foe The hero beheld in his rest a dark red stream of fire rushing down from the hill Crugal sat upon the beam a chief who fell in fight He fell by the hand of Swaran striving in the battle of heroes His face is like the beam of the setting moon His robes are of the clouds of the hill His eyes are two decaying flames | C |
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| Dark is the wound of his breast Crugal said the mighty Connal son of Dedgal famed on the hill of hinds Why so pale and sad thou breaker of shields Thou hast never been pale for fear What disturbs the departed Crugal Dim and in tears he stood and stretched his pale hand over the hero Faintly he raised his feeble voice like the gale of the reedy Lego | D |
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| My spirit Connal is on my hills my course on the sands of Erin Thou shalt never talk with Crugal nor find his lone steps in the heath I am light as the blast of Cromla I move like the shadow of mist Connal son of Colgar I see a cloud of death it hovers dark over the plains of Lena The Sons of green Erin must fall Remove from the field of ghosts Like the darkened moon he retired in the midst of the whistling blast Stay said the mighty Connal stay my dark red friend Lay by that beam of heaven son of windy Cromla What cave is thy lonely house What green headed hill the place of thy repose Shall we not hear thee in the storm in the noise of the mountain stream when the feeble Sons of the wind come forth and scarcely seen pass over the desert | E |
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| The soft voiced Connal rose in the midst of his sounding arms He struck his shield above Cuthullin The son of battle waked Why said the ruler of the car comes Connal through my night My spear might turn against the sound and Cuthullin mourn the death of his friend Speak Connal son of Colgar speak thy counsel is the sun of heaven Son of Semo replied the chief the ghost of Crugal came from his cave The stars dim twinkled through his form His voice was like the sound of a distant stream He is a messenger of death He speaks of the dark and narrow house Sue for peace O chief of Erin or fly over the heath of Lena | B |
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| He spoke to Connal replied the hero though stars dim twinkled through his form Son of Colgar it was the wind that murmured across thy car Or if it was the form of Crugal why didst thou not force him to my sight Hast thou inquired where is his cave the house of that son of wind My sword might find that voice and force his knowledge from Crugal But small is his knowledge Connal he was here to day He could not have gone beyond our hills who could tell him there of our fall Ghosts fly on clouds and ride on winds said Connal's voice of wisdom They rest together in their caves and talk of mortal men | B |
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| Then let them talk of mortal men of every man but Erin's chief Let me be forgot in their cave I will not fly from Swaran If fall I must my tomb shall rise amidst the fame of future times The hunter shall shed a tear on my stone sorrow shall dwell around the high bosomed Brag la I fear not death to fly I fear Fingal has seen me victorious Thou dim phantom of the hill show thyself to me come on thy beam of heaven show me my death in thine hand yet I will not fly thou feeble son of the wind Go son of Colgar strike the shield It hangs between the spears Let my warriors rise to the sound in the midst of the battles of Erin Though Fingal delays his coming with the race of his stormy isles we shall fight O Colgar's son and die in the battle of heroes | F |
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| The sound spreads wide The heroes rise like the breaking of a blue rolling wave They stood on the heath like oaks with all their branches round them when they echo to the stream of frost and their withered leaves are rustling to the wind High Cromla's head of clouds is gray Morning trembles on the half enlightened ocean The blue mist swims slowly by and hides the Sons of Inis fail | G |
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| Rise ye said the king of the dark brown shields ye that came from Lochlin's waves The sons of Erin have fled from our arms pursue them over the plains of Lena Morla go to Cormac's hall Bid them yield to Swaran before his people sink to the tomb and silence spread over his isle They rose rustling like a flock of sea fowl when the waves expel them from the shore Their sound was like a thousand streams that meet in Cona's vale when after a stormy night they turn their dark eddies beneath the pale light of the morn | B |
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| As the dark shades of autumn fly over the hills of grass so gloomy dark successive came the chiefs of Lochlin's echoing woods Tall as the stag of Morven moved stately before them the king His shining shield is on his side like a flame on the heath at night when the world is silent and dark and the traveller sees some ghosts sporting in the beam Dimly gleam the hills around and show indistinctly their oaks A blast from the troubled ocean removed the settled mist The Sons of Erin appear like a ridge of rocks on the coast when mariners on shores unknown are trembling at veering winds | H |
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| Go Morla go said the king of Lochlin offer peace to these Offer the terms we give to kings when nations bow down to our swords When the valiant are dead in war when virgins weep on the field Tall Morla came the son of Swaran and stately strode the youth along He spoke to Erin's blue eyed chief among the lesser heroes Take Swaran's peace the warrior spoke the peace he gives to kings when nations bow to his sword Leave Erin's streamy plains to us and give thy spouse and dog Thy spouse high bosomed heaving fair Thy dog that overtakes the wind Give these to prove the weakness of thine arm live then beneath our power | I |
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| Tell Swaran tell that heart of pride Cuthullin never yields I give him the dark rolling sea I give his people graves in Erin But never shall a stranger have the pleasing sunbeam of my love No deer shall fly on Lochlin's hills before swift footed Lu th Vain ruler of the car said Morla wilt thou then fight the king the king whose ships of many groves could carry off thine isle So little is thy green hilled Erin to him who rules the stormy waves In words I yield to many Morla My sword shall yield to none Erin shall own the sway of Cormac while Connal and Cuthullin live O Connal first of mighty men thou hearest the words of Morla Shall thy thoughts then be of peace thou breaker of the shields Spirit of fallen Crugal Why didst thou threaten us with death The narrow house shall receive me in the midst of the light of renown Exalt ye sons of Er | I |
James Macpherson
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