Lathmon by James Macpherson (1765)

Name: Lathmon
Author: James Macpherson

Lathmon, a British prince, invades Morven while Fingal is away in Ireland, and the poem follows the night and morning in which Fingal's return, and the first battle of young Gaul, turn him back. The daughters of Morven watch the sea for the white sails of the king, but the winds of the north have kept him from returning. Lathmon's host pours down from the eastern hill like a stream of darkness, trusting that the mighty are absent from Selma. Then the sails of Fingal appear, and Lathmon draws back like mist. Fingal had started from sleep at sea, having seen his fathers in a dream, which they bring when the sword of a foe rises over the land. He calls on the wind, orders his heroes to arm, and names Lathmon, who had fled from him on the plains of Lona, as the enemy. They enter Carmon's bay, and Ossian climbs the hill and strikes his shield three times, a signal that stirs the foe. Old Morni, sitting beside the Strumon with his son Gaul, hears the signal and knows it for war. He sends Gaul to fetch his arms and tells him to rush to the first of his battles and win the renown of his fathers. Morni then goes to Fingal in armor, though his strength has failed. He asks that his son be allowed to fight, so that Gaul's fame may light his own dark hour of departure. Fingal agrees that Gaul shall fight, but before Fingal himself, under his protection. He bids Morni rest in Selma and hear the harp. He tells Ossian to go with Gaul, but never to leave the king's side. Ossian and Gaul form a close bond and test their swords on the empty air behind the wood. At night Fingal and Morni sit together while bards play. Ullin sings of Comhal, and Morni's brow darkens at the memory of old strife between their fathers. Fingal gently bids him let those days be forgot, and Morni answers that he remembers Fingal's father with joy. He sends the two young men to watch the enemy from a woody hill, but not to approach them. On the hill, under the stars, Gaul trembles with the wish to fight and sees the sleeping host. Ossian shares the wish. He tells Gaul that if he falls, Gaul must carry his sword to Everallin, daughter of Branno, for Oscar. Gaul refuses to return without his friend. They cross the stream, and Gaul will not strike a sleeping foe like a blast by night. He tells Ossian to strike the shield and let the thousands rise. Ossian agrees and marks a rock behind them as a place to make a stand. Ossian strikes his shield thrice, and the startled host flees, thinking Fingal has come. Gaul's spear and sword kill Cremor, Leth, Dunthormo, Crotho and Cathmin. Ossian cuts down many more. At gray morning the foe gathers on a hill, and Lathmon, silent in his rising grief, strikes his shield. Ossian proposes that they go back toward the king, but Gaul insists on going slowly, so that no one can say they melted away like ghosts before the sun. Sulmath, chief of Datha, urges Lathmon to send his thousand against the two. Lathmon refuses, since a thousand against two would shame his father Nuath, and he chooses to fight Ossian alone. He pierces Ossian's shield, but Ossian cuts the spear in two with the sword of Morni and sends his own spear through Lathmon's shield. Gaul puts his buckler in the way of Ossian's descending sword. Lathmon, moved to tears, throws down his sword and praises the two young heroes. Then he sees Fingal coming like a mighty stream and calls Fingal happy, for his son will fight his wars. Fingal arrives in mildness, glad of his son's deeds, and Morni's aged eyes fill with joy. At the feast in Selma, Everallin sings and plays the harp. Fingal tells Lathmon that the race of Morven does not seek out the weak and does not delight in battle. He bids Lathmon turn his battles to other lands.

By James Macpherson · First published 1765 · Genre: Epic poetry, Heroic poetry, Pre-Romantic poetry · 4,180 words

First lines

Argument. Lathmon, a British prince, taking advantage of Fingal's absence on an expedition to Ireland, made a descent on Morven, and advanced within sight of Selma, the royal residence. Fingal arrived in the mean time, and Lathmon retreated to a hill, where his army was surprised by night, and himself taken prisoner by Ossian and Gaul the son of Morni. The poem opens with the first appearance of Fingal on the coast of Morven, and ends, it may be supposed, about noon the next day.

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Genres

Epic poetry — The poem is a narrative of a king's military campaign, with heroic deeds, a single decisive battle, and grand, formulaic language typical of the epic tradition.
Heroic poetry — It centers on the courage, honor and martial prowess of warriors such as Ossian, Gaul and Fingal, and on the fame they seek through combat.
Pre-Romantic poetry — Its melancholy sensibility, sublime natural imagery, and nostalgia for a vanished past anticipate the emotional concerns of late eighteenth-century Romanticism.
Elegiac poetry — Themes of mortality, the decline of old age in Morni, and the grief over fallen heroes give the work a strong elegiac tone.

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Lathmon is listed on Textopian as a poem by James Macpherson, dated 1765 CE.

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Work type: Poem
Author: James Macpherson
Date: 1765 CE
Language: English
Genres: Epic poetry, Heroic poetry, Pre-Romantic poetry, Elegiac poetry, War poetry
Length: 4,180 words
Structure: 1 section, 37 paragraphs
Reading fit: Very Easy (5th Grade or below)

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