这首曲子和奥西安的许多作品一样，是写给最早的基督教传教士之一的。根据传统，这首诗的故事是这样流传下来的:在英国人的国家里，在芬格尔时代，有两个首领住在城墙之间，一个是条达勋爵邓撒尔莫，据说是特威德人;还有拉斯莫尔，他住在克鲁沙，以克莱德河而闻名。拉斯莫尔的慷慨好客并不比邓撒尔莫的残忍和野心更出名。邓撒尔莫，由于嫉妒，或者由于两家之间的私仇，在一次宴会上谋杀了拉斯莫尔;但后来悔恨不已，他在自己的房子里教育了拉斯莫尔的两个儿子，卡尔顿和科尔马。他们长大成人，暗示要为他们父亲的死报仇，于是邓撒尔莫把他们关在条达河畔的两个山洞里，打算私下把他们带走。科玛尔是邓撒尔莫的女儿，她秘密地爱上了卡尔顿，帮助他逃出了监狱，并伪装成一个年轻战士的样子，和他一起逃到了芬格尔，恳求他帮助对付邓撒尔莫。芬格尔派奥西安带着三百人去援救科尔马。Dunthalmo之前谋杀了Colmar，后来与Ossian作战，但他被那个英雄杀死了，他的军队完全失败了。 Calthon married Colmal his deliverer; and Ossian returned to Morven. Pleasant is the voice of thy song, thou lonely dweller of the rock! It comes on the sound of the stream, along the narrow vale. My soul awakes, O stranger, in the midst of my hall. I stretch my hand to the spear, as in the days of other years. I stretch my hand, but it is feeble: and the sigh of my bosom grows. Wilt thou not listen, son of the rock! to the song of Ossian? My soul is full of other times; the joy of my youth returns. Thus the sun appears in the west, after the steps of his brightness have moved behind a storm: the green hills lift their dewy heads: the blue streams rejoice in the vale. The aged hero comes forth on his stair; his gray hair glitters in the beam. Dost thou not behold, son of the rock! a shield in Ossian's hall? It is marked with the strokes of battle; and the brightness of its bosses has failed. That shield the great Dunthalmo bore, the chief of streamy Teutha. Dunthalmo bore it in battle before he fell by Ossian's spear. Listen, son of the rock! to the tale of other years. Rathmor was a chief of Clutha. The feeble dwelt in his ball. The gates of Rathmor were never shut: his feast was always spread. The sons of the stranger came. They blessed the generous chief of Clutha. Bards raised the song, and touched the harp: joy brightened on the face of the sad! Dunthalmo came, in his pride, and rushed into the combat of Rathmor. The chief of Clutha overcame: the rage of Dunthalmo rose. He came, by night, with his warriors; the mighty Rathmor fell. He fell in his halls, where his feast was often spread for strangers. Colmar and Calthon were young, the sons of car-borne Rathmor. They came, in the joy of youth, into their father's hall. They behold him in his blood; their bursting tears descend. The soul of Dunthalmo melted, when he saw the children of youth. He brought them to Alteutha's walls; they grew in the house of their foe. They bent the bow in his presence: and came forth to his wars. They saw the fallen walls of their fathers; they saw the green thorn in the hall. Their tears rushed forth in secret. At times their faces were sad. Dunthalmo beheld their grief; his darkening soul designed their death. He closed them in two caves, on the echoing banks of Teutha. The sun did not come there with his beams; nor the moon of heaven by night. The sons of Rathmor remained in darkness, and foresaw their death. The daughter of Dunthalmo wept in silence, the fair-haired blue-eyed Colmal. Her eye had rolled in secret on Calthon; his loveliness swelled in her soul. She trembled for her warrior; but what could Colmal do? Her arm could not lift the spear; nor was the sword formed for her side. Her white breast never rose beneath a mail. Neither was her eye the terror of heroes. What canst thou do, O Colmal!! for the falling chief? Her steps are unequal; her hair is loose; her eye looks wildly through her tears. She came, by night, to the hall. She armed her lovely form in steel; the steel of a young warrior, who fell in the first of his battles. She came to the cave of Calthon, and loosed the thong from his hands. "Arise, son of Rathmor," she said, "arise, the night is dark! Let us fly to the king of Selma, chief of fallen Clutha! I am the son of Lamgal, who dwelt in thy father's hall. I heard of thy dark dwelling in the cave, and my soul arose. Arise, son of Rathmor! arise, the night is dark!" ? "Blest voice!" replied the chief, "comest thou from the clouds to Calthon? The ghosts of his fathers have often descended in