Fingal: An Ancient Epic Poem in Six Books, together with Several Other Poems Composed by Ossian, the Son of Fingal

by James MacPherson

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Genres: Classics

Paperback

First published December 1, 1761

About the author

James Macpherson (Gaelic: Seumas Mac a' Phearsain) was a Scottish writer, poet, literary collector and politician, known as the "translator" of the Ossian cycle of epic poems.

It was in 1761 that Macpherson claimed to have found an epic on the subject of the hero Fingal, written by Ossian. The name Fingal or Fionnghall means "white stranger". His publisher, claiming that there was no market for these works except in English, required that they be translated. He published translations of it during the next few years, culminating in a collected edition, The Works of Ossian, in 1765. The most famous of these poems was Fingal.

The poems achieved international success (Napoleon and Thomas Jefferson were great fans) and were proclaimed as a Celtic equivalent of the Classical writers such as Homer. Many writers were influenced by the works, including the young Walter Scott. In the German-speaking states Michael Denis made the first full translation in 1768, inspiring the proto-nationalist poets Klopstock and Goethe, whose own German translation of a portion of Macpherson's work figures prominently in a climactic scene of The Sorrows of Young Werther (1774).

The poem was as much admired in Hungary as in France and Germany; Hungarian János Arany wrote Homer and Ossian in response, and several other Hungarian writers Baróti Szabó, Csokonai, Sándor Kisfaludy, Kazinczy, Kölcsey, Ferenc Toldy, and Ágost Greguss, were also influenced by it.

Reviews

[Mac]

Having read the "Fragments of Ancient Poetry," I proceeded onto the bulk of James MacPherson's translations of Ossian's work. Or perhaps I should say "translations" of "Ossian's" work, as the authenticity of the poetry has been questioned. (See my review of the "Fragments" for more discussion on this point.)

This book contains one long epic poem, "Fingal," along with many other short and medium-length poems. The casts of characters frequently overlap, and MacPherson provides commentary in footnotes to help connect the narrative in one poem to the narratives in others. As in the "Fragments," there were many striking poetic images, but it was much easier to get swept up in the story with these longer poems. Nonetheless I occasionally had difficulty keeping track of who was who. Sometimes characters are referred to periphrastically as "son of X" or "daughter of Y," making me wish I had a family tree to consult. And forgive the petty comment, but too many names started with C!

However authentic they may be, Ossian/MacPherson's poems were enjoyable to read, and I feel they have given me greater insight into Gaelic culture and lore.