MACGILL-EAIN, Somhairle; Seamus HEANEY (translator). Hallaig. [Dunblane]: Urras Shomhairle/The Sorley MacLean Trust, 2002.
8vo. Original green printed wrappers; unpaginated [pp. 8]; very minor toning to edges and spine of wrappers; light unobtrusive mark to front panel; minor oxidation to staples; light even toning to paper-stock; near fine.
First edition. Presented with text in both Gaelic and English. Considered one of MacGill-Eain's masterpieces, Hallaig is a reflection upon the Highland Clearances, a tragic period in Scottish history when many communities were forcibly removed from their ancestral lands. Taking its name after a deserted village on the Isle of Raasay, part of the Inner Hebrides, this poem is a significant literary achievement, reflecting the beauty of the landscape and the sorrow of history. Heaney's nuanced and delicate translation is notable for its sensitivity to the original Gaelic tone and rhythm, with Heaney himself a profound poet deeply attuned to themes of place, history and language.
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