Sorley MacLean mixes devastating heartbreak and poetic inspiration in a poem that he sees will act as a lasting monument to a woman he loved and his feelings for her.
The poem consists of five stanzas of eight lines.
Rhyme is evident in lines two and four, six and eight. There is also a consistency to the length of the lines with a fairly even syllabic structure throughout.
This lends the poem a certainty of purpose. It reads as a forthright statement of the poet's feelings.
The persona, or voice, is that of the poet himself. He addresses ‘Eimhir’ as if in person. This gives the reader direct access to his thoughts and emotions.