303 



in that kind of verse called Seadna, which requires eight ; but no 

 vowel suffering elision or extinction, either at the beginning or ter- 

 mination of words, can be counted in scanning. 



Every Leathrann (half stanza) consists of two quartans ; and 

 every Rann or complete stanza consists of two Leathranns ; the first 

 of which is called Seoladh, (directing or leading) ; and the second, 

 Cornhad, (keeping or closing.) 



Every Rann or Leathrann, must conclude without any gramma- 

 tical dependance upon any word following. The Leathrann may or 

 may not form a complete sentence ; but every Rann, or entire Stanza, 

 must make complete sense, without any dependance on any preced- 

 ing or following Rann. 



A Dan or Duain, (a poem,) may consist of any number of 

 Raims at the option of the writer. 



Having premised this much, and considering it unnecessary to 

 enter further into Gaelic prosody, we shall proceed to examine the 

 Duan Albanach, given by Mr. Pinkerton, and which Sir John Sin- 

 clair, in his "Dissertation," p. 19, considers as sufficient evidence that 

 Gaelic poetry was written, or at least known in Caledonia in the 

 eleventh century. The poem was recited by the court bard at the 

 inauguration of Malcolm III, king of Scotland, from the year 1056 

 to 1093. The copy we use is that published by the late Rev. Doc- 

 tor Charles O'Conor, in his " Rerum Hibernicarum Scriptores ve- 

 teres. — Tom. I. Prolegomena, Pars. I. p. 124." 



The three first Stanzas of the Duan will be a sufficient specimen 

 of the language and versification of the entire, and these set in juxta- 

 position with the same number of lines from any part of the 

 " Poems of Ossian in the Original Gaelic," will be sufficient to shew 

 the difference in the language and composition between the two 



