The Poems of Ossian

1773

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COMALA:

A dramatic Poem.

Argument.

THIS poem is valuable on account of the light it throws on the antiquity of Oſſian's compoſitions. The Caracul mentioned here is the ſame with Caracalla, the ſon of Severus, who, in the year 211, commanded an expedition againſt the Caledonians. The variety of the meaſure ſhows that the poem was originally ſet to muſic, and perhaps preſented before the chiefs upon ſolemn occaſions. Tradition has handed down the ſtory more complete than it is in the poem. “Comala, the daughter of Sarno, king of Iniſtore, or Orkney Iſlands, fell in love with Fingal, the ſon of Comhal, at a feaſt, to which her father had invited him [Fingal, B. III.] upon his return from Lochlin, after the death of Agandecca. Her paſſion was ſo violent, that ſhe followed him, diſguiſed like a youth, who wanted to be employed in his wars. She was ſoon diſcovered by Hidallan, the ſon of Lamor, one of Fingal's heroes, whoſe love ſhe had ſlighted ſome time before. Her romantic paſſion and beauty recommended her ſo much to the king, that he had reſolved to make her his wife; when news was brought him of Caracul's expedition. He marched to ſtop the progreſs of the enemy, and Comala attended him. He left her on a hill, within ſight of Caracul's army, when he himſelf went to battle, having previouſly promiſed, if he ſurvived, to return that night.” The ſequel of the ſtory may be gathered from the poem itſelf.

The Persons.

Dersagrena. ¹)

THE chaſe is over. No noiſe on Erdven but the torrent's roar! Daughter of Morni, come from Crona's banks. Lay down the bow and take the harp. Let the night come on with ſongs; let our joy be great on Ardven.

Melilcoma. ²)

NIGHT comes on apace, thou blue-eyed maid! gray night grows dim along the plain, I ſaw a deer at Crona's ſtream; a moſſy bank he ſeemed through the gloom, but ſoon he bounded away. A meteor played round his branching horns; the awful faces of other times looked from the clouds of Crona.

Dersagrena.

THESE are the ſigns of Fingal's death. The king of ſhields is fallen! and Caracul prevails. Riſe, Comala ³), from thy rock; daughter of Sarno, riſe in tears! the youth of thy love is low; his ghoſt is on our hills.

Melilcoma.

THERE Comala ſits forlorn! two gray dogs near ſhake their rough ears, and catch the flying breeze. Her red cheek reſts upon her arm, the mountain wind is in her hair. She turns her blue eyes towards the fields of his promiſe. Where art thou, O Fingal? The night is gathering around.

Comala.

O Carun ⁴) of the ſtreams! why do I behold thy waters rolling in blood? Has the noiſe of the battle been heard; and ſleeps the king of Morven? Riſe, moon, thou daughter of the ſky! look from between thy clouds; riſe, that I may behold the gleam of his ſteel on the field of his promiſe. Or rather let the meteor, that lights our fathers through the night, come with its red beam, to ſhow me the way to my fallen hero. Who will defend me from ſorrow? Who from the love of Hidallan? Long ſhall Comala look before ſhe can behold Fingal in the midſt of his hoſt; bright as the coming forth of the morning in the cloud of an early ſhower.

Hidallan. ⁵)

DWELL, thou miſt of gloomy Crona, dwell on the path of the king! Hide his ſteps from mine eyes, let me remember my friend no more. The bands of battle are ſcattered, no crowding tread round the noiſe of his ſteel. O Carun! roll thy ſtreams of blood, the chief of the people is low.

Comala.

WHO fell on Carun's ſounding banks, ſon of the cloudy night? Was he white as the ſnow of Ardven? Blooming as the bow of the ſhower? Was his hair like the miſt of the hill, ſoft and curling in the day of the ſun? Was he like the thunder of heaven in battle? Fleet as the roe of the deſert?

Hidallan.

O that I might behold his love, fair-leaning from her rock! Her red eye dim in tears, her bluſhing cheek half hid in her locks! Blow, O gentle breeze! lift thou the heavy locks of the maid, that I may behold her white arm, her lovely cheek in her grief.

Comala.

AND is the ſon of Comhal fallen, chief of the mournful tale! The thunder rolls on the hill! The lightning flies on wings of fire! They frighten not Comala; for Fingal is low. Say, chief of the mournful tale, fell the breaker of the ſhields?

Hidallan.

THE nations are ſcattered on their hills! they ſhall hear the voice of the king no more.

Comala.

CONFUSION purſue thee over thy plains! Ruin overtake thee, thou king of the world! ⁶) Few be thy ſteps to thy grave; and let one virgin mourn thee! Let her be like Comala, tearful in the days of her youth! Why haſt thou told me, Hidallan, that my hero fell? I might have hoped a little while his return; I might have thought I ſaw him on the diſtant rock: a tree might have deceived me with his appearance; the wind of the hill might have been the ſound of his horn in mine ear. O that I were on the banks or Carun; that my tears might be warm on his cheek.

Hidallan.

HE lies not on the banks of Carun: on Ardven heroes raiſe his tomb. Look on them, O moon! from thy clouds; be thy beam bright on his breaſt, that Comala may behold him in the light of his armor.

Comala.

STOP, ye ſons of the grave, till I behold lily love! He left me at the chaſe alone. I knew not that he went to war. He ſaid he would return with the night; the king of Morven is returned! Why didſt thou not tell me that he would fall, O trembling dweller of the rock? ⁷) Thou ſaweſt him in the blood of his youth; but thou didſt not tell Comala.

Melilcoma.

WHAT ſound is that on Ardven? Who is that bright in the vale? Who comes like the ſtrength of rivers, when their crowded waters glitter to the moon?

Comala.

WHO is it but the foe of Comala, the ſon of the king of the world! ⁸) Ghoſt of Fingal! do thou, from thy cloud, direct Comala's bow. Let him fall like the hart of the deſert. It is Fingal in the crowd of his ghoſts. Why doſt thou come, my love, to frighten and pleaſe my ſoul?

Fingal.

RAISE, ye bards, the ſong; raiſe the wars of the ſtreamy Carun! Caracul has fled from our arms along the field of his pride. He ſets far diſtant like a meteor, that encloſes a ſpirit of night, when the winds drive it over the heath, and the dark woods are gleaming around. I heard a voice, or was it the breeze of my hills? Is it the huntreſs of Ardven, the white-handed daughter of Sarno? Look from the rocks, my love; let me hear the voice of Comala!

Comala.

TAKE me to the cave of thy reſt, O lovely ſon of death

Fingal.

COME to the cave of my reſt. The ſtorm is paſt, the ſun is on our fields. Come to the cave of my reſt, huntreſs of echoing Ardven!

Comala.

HE is returned with his fame! I feel the right hand of his wars! But I muſt reſt beſide the rock till my ſoul returns from my fear! O let the harp be near! raiſe the ſong, ye daughters of Morna.

Dersagrena.

COMALA has ſlain three deer on Ardven, the fire aſcends on the rock; go to the feaſt of Comala, king of the woody Morven!

Fingal.

RAISE, ye ſons of ſong, the wars of the ſtreamy Carun; that my white-handed maid may rejoice: while I behold the feaſt of my love.

Bards.

ROLL, ſtreamy Carun, roll in joy, the ſons of battle are fled! the ſteed is not ſeen on our fields; the wings ⁹) of their pride ſpread on other lands. The ſun will now riſe in peace, and the ſhadows deſcend in joy. The voice of the chaſe will be heard; the ſhields hang in the hall. Our delight will be in the war of the ocean, our hands ſhall grow red in the blood of Lochlin. Roll, ſtreamy Carun, roll in joy, the ſons of battle fled!

Melilcoma.

DESCEND, ye light miſts from high! Ye moonbeams, lift her ſoul! Pale lies the maid at the rock! Comala is no more!

Fingal.

IS the daughter of Sarno dead; the white-boſomed maid of my love? Meet me, Comala, on my heaths, when I ſit alone at the ſtreams of my hills.

Hidallan.

CEASED the voice of the huntreſs of Ardven? why did I trouble the ſoul of the maid? When ſhall I ſee thee, with joy, in the chaſe of the dark-brown hinds?

Fingal.

YOUTH of the gloomy brow! No more ſhalt thou feaſt in my halls! Thou ſhalt not purſue my chaſe, my foes ſhall not fall by thy ſword. ¹⁰) Lead me to the place of her reſt, that I may behold her beauty. Pale ſhe lies as the rock, the cold winds lift her hair. Her bow-ſtring ſounds in the blaſt, her arrow was broken in her fall. Raiſe the praiſe of the daughter of Sarno! give her name to the winds of heaven.

Bards.

SEE! meteors gleam around the maid! See! moonbeams lift her ſoul! Around her, from their clouds, bend the awful faces of her father: Sarno ¹¹) of the gloomy brow! the red-rolling eyes of Hidallan! When ſhall thy white hand ariſe? When ſhall thy voice be heard on our rocks? The maids ſhall ſeek thee on the heath, but they ſhall not find thee. Thou ſhalt come, at times, to their dreams, to ſettle peace in their ſoul. Thy voice ſhall remain in their ears, they ſhall think with joy on the dreams of their reſt. Meteors gleam around the maid, and moonbeams lift her ſoul!

__________

¹)

Derſagrena, the brightneſs of a ſun-beam. 

²)

Melilcoma, ſoft-rolling eye. 

³)

Comala, the maid of the pleaſant brow. 

⁴)

Carun or Cara'on, a winding river. – This river retains ſtill the name of Carron, and falls into the Forth ſome miles to the north of Falkirk. 

⁵)

Hidallan was ſent by Fingal to give notice to Comala of his return; he, to revenge himſelf on her for ſlighting his love ſome time before, told her that the king was killed in battle. He even pretended that he carried his body from the field to be buried in her preſence; and this circumſtance makes it probable that the poem was preſented of old. 

⁶)

Caracalla. 

⁷)

By the dweller of the rock ſhe means a druid. It is probable that ſome of the order of the druids remained as late as the beginning of the reign of Fingal; and that Comala had conſulted one of them concerning the event of the war with Caracul. 

⁸)

Caracalla, the ſon of Severus. 

⁹)

Perhaps the poet alludes to the Roman eagle. 

¹⁰)

The ſequel of the ſtory of Hidallan is introduced in another poem. 

¹¹)

Sarno the father of Comala died ſoon after the flight of his daughter. Fidallan was the firſt king that reigned in Iniſtore.