Wild Wales: Its People, Language and Scenery by George Henry Borrow
page 140 of 922 (15%)
page 140 of 922 (15%)
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look full in the face of the sun, and likewise hard that poor human
creatures should be lost for ever, for not doing that which they had no power to do. "Perhaps," said I, "the eagle does not deal with his chicks, or the Lord with His creatures as the fable represents." "Let us hope at any rate," said the old gentleman, "that the Lord does not." "Have you ever seen this book?" said he, and put Smith's "Sean Dana" into my hand. "Oh, yes," said I, "and have gone through it. It contains poems in the Gaelic language by Oisin and others, collected in the Highlands. I went through it a long time ago with great attention. Some of the poems are wonderfully beautiful." "They are so," said the old clerk. "I too have gone through the book; it was presented to me a great many years ago by a lady to whom I gave some lessons in the Welsh language. I went through it with the assistance of a Gaelic grammar and dictionary, which she also presented to me, and I was struck with the high tone of the poetry." "This collection is valuable indeed," said I; "it contains poems, which not only possess the highest merit, but serve to confirm the authenticity of the poems of Ossian, published by Macpherson, so often called in question. All the pieces here attributed to Ossian are written in the same metre, tone, and spirit, as those |
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