The hall of Kyndylan is not joyous this night,
On the top of the rock of Hydwyth,
Without its lord, without company, without feasts.
The hall of Kyndylan is gloomy this night,
Without fire, without songs,
Tears afflict the cheeks.
The poem, attributed to Ossian in the Dean’s MS., is of the same
character:--
Long are the clouds this night above me;
The last was a long night to me.
This day, although I find it long,
Yesterday was longer still.
* * * * *
Long are the clouds this night above me.
No rising up to noble feats;
No mirthful sport as we would wish,
No swimming heroes on our lakes.
Long are the clouds this night above me, etc.
_Poem_, p. 4.
This is a well-known poem, termed Sliabh nam ban Fionn. A copy almost
identic with this is published by the Ossianic Society of Dublin in
their sixth volume, and a comparison of the first stanza with that of
the Dean will show the relation the orthography of it bears to his:--
DEAN.
La zay deacha finn mo rayth
Di helg er sleyve ny ban finn
Tri meillith wathyon ny wayn
Ne zeaath skaow vass in ginn.
IRISH.
La da n-deachaidh Fionn na bhfiann
Do sheilg ar shliabh na m-ban fionn
Tri mhile do mhaithibh na bhfiann
Sul n-deachaidh grian os ar g-cionn.
It will be observed that the Irish eclipsis is only partially
recognised by the Dean.
There is a copy of this poem in Kennedy’s Collection, p. 29.
The number of verses is the same, but some variation occurs in the
reading of several of them.
Dr. Smith remarks, in the Highland Society’s Report, that an edition
of this poem, under the title of La mor Seilg na Feinne, occurs in the
oral recitations communicated by the Rev. Francis Stewart of Craignish,
and another was written from memory by Archibald M’Callum.
_Poem_, p. 20.
The King of Sorcha is here opposed to the daughter of the King of
the Tir fo thuinn, or land beneath the waves; and in this respect it
resembles the Welsh poems, where the King of Annwn and his daughter
play so great a part.
Sorcha is light, in opposition to Dorcha, dark; and there seems to be a
poetic contrast between the kingdom of light and the kingdom under the
waves.
Historically the land under the waves was the low-lying coast of
Holland and Germany, extending from the Rhine to the Elbe.
Dr. Smith remarks that this poem differs little from Kennedy’s and
other oral editions in the possession of the Society.
_Poem_, p. 26.
There is an edition of this poem in one of M’Vurich’s MSS. in the
collection deposited in the Faculty Library. The language is more
Irish than the Dean’s. The first verse may be given for the purpose of
comparison:--
DEAN.
Sai la guss in dei
Oy nach vaga mai finn
Chanaka rem rai
Sai boo yar lym.
M’VURICH.
Se la gus an de
Nach faca me fionn
Ni fhaca re mo re
Se budh faide leam.
It will be observed that the Dean uses the Scotch negative _Cha_, while
M’Vurich has the Irish _Ni_.
_Poem_, p. 30.
Dr. Smith states that this poem corresponds in a great measure with one
taken down from oral recitation in Sutherland and another in Isla.
_Poems_, p. 35 and p. 48.
This poem is one of the editions of the Cath Gabhra, and, along with
the poem by Feargus Filidh on the same subject, forms part of the long
poem called Cath Gabhra, printed by the Ossianic Society of Dublin in
their first volume.