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xxiv. Introductìon.
■copious in existence, adequate for any subject. He
proceeded conscio'usly to apply it to fresh themes, and
in this enterprise his success and his influence upon
his contemporaries and successors was very gi-eat. His
poems on Summer and on Winter, and his description
of Allt an t-Siùcair, his poem on a dove, his poerns
after the fashion of a pìobaireachd, his Smeòracli
Chlann Raghnaill, as well as other poems, all stirred
others to attempt the hke subjects. A remarkable
instance of his influence, which does not appear to have
been noted hitherto, is the case of Eob Donn, whose
Oran a' Gheamhraidh is an exact counterpart, hne for
line and phrase for phrase, of MacDonald's Oran an
t-Samhraidh — a notable illustration of the mental
grasp of Eob Donn, if, as we are told, he could not
read the original on which he worked. Space does not
permit us to trace Alexander MacDonald's influence
on Duncan Macintyre, John MacCodrum, and others
of the modem sehool. The last to compose a Smeòrach
was Donald MacLeod of Skye, father of the
distinguished poet, Neil MacLeod, whose Smeòrach
jian Leòdach has its share of the old fire and feehng.
The range of modem poetry is quito unrestricted.
It has indeed produced noth ing in th e way of drama
or epic , if we except the Ossianic poetry put together
"by James Macpherson : these forms were never
practised by the Gael. A more remarkable feature is
the absence of the ballad, though the old ballads
continued to be recited. Further, Gaehc poetry, as a
rule, deals with phenomena without seeking to analyse
or explain them ; it is objective, not introspective ;
concrete, not abstract. That the Gael appreciated tho
■copious in existence, adequate for any subject. He
proceeded conscio'usly to apply it to fresh themes, and
in this enterprise his success and his influence upon
his contemporaries and successors was very gi-eat. His
poems on Summer and on Winter, and his description
of Allt an t-Siùcair, his poem on a dove, his poerns
after the fashion of a pìobaireachd, his Smeòracli
Chlann Raghnaill, as well as other poems, all stirred
others to attempt the hke subjects. A remarkable
instance of his influence, which does not appear to have
been noted hitherto, is the case of Eob Donn, whose
Oran a' Gheamhraidh is an exact counterpart, hne for
line and phrase for phrase, of MacDonald's Oran an
t-Samhraidh — a notable illustration of the mental
grasp of Eob Donn, if, as we are told, he could not
read the original on which he worked. Space does not
permit us to trace Alexander MacDonald's influence
on Duncan Macintyre, John MacCodrum, and others
of the modem sehool. The last to compose a Smeòrach
was Donald MacLeod of Skye, father of the
distinguished poet, Neil MacLeod, whose Smeòrach
jian Leòdach has its share of the old fire and feehng.
The range of modem poetry is quito unrestricted.
It has indeed produced noth ing in th e way of drama
or epic , if we except the Ossianic poetry put together
"by James Macpherson : these forms were never
practised by the Gael. A more remarkable feature is
the absence of the ballad, though the old ballads
continued to be recited. Further, Gaehc poetry, as a
rule, deals with phenomena without seeking to analyse
or explain them ; it is objective, not introspective ;
concrete, not abstract. That the Gael appreciated tho
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Early Gaelic Book Collections > Matheson Collection > Bardachd Ghaidhlig > (28) |
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Permanent URL | https://digital.nls.uk/76422869 |
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Description | Specimens of Gaelic poetry 1550-1900. |
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Shelfmark | Mat.50 |
Additional NLS resources: | |
Attribution and copyright: |
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More information |
Description | Items from a collection of 170 volumes relating to Gaelic matters. Mainly philological works in the Celtic and some non-Celtic languages. Some books extensively annotated by Angus Matheson, the first Professor of Celtic at Glasgow University. |
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Description | Selected items from five 'Special and Named Printed Collections'. Includes books in Gaelic and other Celtic languages, works about the Gaels, their languages, literature, culture and history. |
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