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—
The Glenmoriston Bard. 241
'S ni 'n coiloach turriiniich mocli 'sa' Mliart
'Sa l)uiTacli(lail air i,'acli tonnaii anl ;
'San liatli-ohoarc 's i na tiainli da 'gheard
Air fairidheau nam Mor eas.
Siiuulau 's n turs 'sa' clioill
—
'Saiin 'shaoil le each gu'n d' fhas o tinn ;
'Sa smcorach 's i ri ceol d' a cliaoidh,
'Si 'ii duil luich beir i beo air.
'S chit aig aiiamoichead nan tmth
Grian a hoisgeadh thair gacli mam ;
'S na minn 's na h-uain air spuaic nan earn
"Sa garleas mu'n nam i\Ioi'-eas.
Yet, oven in these verses, it will plainly be seen that more
attention is given to animate than to inanimate nature. But this
must not be considi'red a great fault, for a poem toucliing upon
the beauties of the earth, like a landscape painting, is never com-
plete without the introduction of animation into its details.
The love element of Grant's poetry is particularly interesting.
He must have been, in common with other poets, extremely susceptible
to the influence of feminine beauty; and I have reason to
biilieve that no earthly sight could affect his inmost soul more than
a beautiful, fascinating woman.
confession
She appeared to him on his own
Mar a' ghrian a bhiodh air sleibhtean,
'Niiair bhiodh na speuran gun smal orr'
Beagan uni'n d'thig an oidhche,
'Us i 'toir boisgeadh air gach bealach.
Numerous quotations could be added, each interesting as throwing
light upon the Bard's manner of passing time in the society of the
fair sex. The}' are still living in Glenmoriston whose names are
ivssociated with some of the Bard's love adventures.
There remains one conspicuous feature of his poetry still to be
referred to, namely, sarcasm. Sarcasm, of itself, is no part ol'true
poetry. Yet, in the mouth of a poet, sarcasm lias often been
found to prove a powerful weapon for the suppression of corruption
and crime. Grant, happily, had no cause to exercise his sarcastic
wit particidarly for this object, but he always thought it his duty
to treat any incident of local interest with that saturation of
sarcasm that never fails to take effect where the whole matter
is to bo understood. From a number of songs composed
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