The Scottish Celtic review

;Esroy, an Ossianic Ballad. 176He neither lance nor shield did showTo chief or warrior that was there*;Our Feinu contemptuously he passed,Until he came up close to Finn.Had not our fifty warriors stoutBeen in the clash of arms his match,We helpless would have been in thrall,Deprived of what had been our right.Unceasing would the sword have beenDestroying men and shields alike ;So fierce a conflict betwixt two,Was not, in my day, seen again.We buried then, close by the fall,The man renowned for might and deedsAnd on each finger point we placedA ring of gold, to mark a king.For ten years, Gaul of valiant arms.The hero fierce not slack in fight,Morna's son, as well we know,Was healing with Mac-Cu'all ' of feasts.1 Finn.* These two lines are translated from the corresponding lines of Gilliesversion given on the opposite page. The meaning of the lines in the MS. isnot clear.[The transcript of the Dean of Lismore's version of this ballad nowpublished is free of many of the inaccuracies of previous transcripts.In the modern version, forms of words, which are not now in use inScottish Gaelic, have necessarily been retained. The translation is verynearly literal. Other ballads from the same MS. are being prepared forpublication in future numbers.]