Description

The Poems of Ossian is a collection of epic poems written by Scottish poet James MacPherson in the 18th century. The poems are based on the legends and folklore of the ancient Scottish Gaelic hero Ossian, who is said to have lived in the 3rd century AD. The collection consists of several long narrative poems, as well as shorter lyrical pieces, and is written in a style that imitates the language and cadence of ancient Gaelic poetry. The poems are primarily concerned with themes of heroism, love, nature, and the passing of time. MacPherson claimed that the poems were translations of ancient Gaelic manuscripts that he had discovered, but there has been much debate over their authenticity. Some scholars believe that MacPherson composed the poems himself, while others argue that he heavily edited and embellished existing Gaelic poetry. Despite the controversy surrounding their origins, The Poems of Ossian were immensely popular in their time and had a significant influence on Romantic literature and art. They were praised by figures such as Napoleon Bonaparte and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and were translated into many different languages. Today, they continue to be studied and debated by scholars of Gaelic literature and history.Ossian, the legendary poet, is today believed to be entirely the creation of James McPherson, but hey, he mixed in some great Celtic stories, right?This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.