In Hallaig, MacLean evokes the past and vibrant community of a village abandoned during the Highland Clearances.
The poem takes the form of an epigram and fourteen regular verses. Rhyme is more obvious in the Gaelic rather than in the translation into English. However MacLean’s translation retains much of the flow and rhythm of the language.
MacLean's use enjambment stresses the universal connection between people and nature before grounding these in specific settings:
and she has always been/ between Inver and Milk Hollow
their daughters and sons are a wood/ going up beside the stream
MacLean uses oxymoron to contrast the physical present with his vision:
the dead have been seen alive
in the dumb living twilight
He uses oxymoron again in his final violent image of the gun of Love
. This effectively reflects his mixed feelings of anger and love.
Word choice is simple. The places and people named are real and specific, keeping the poem deeply personal:
In Screapadal of my people
Where Norman and Big Hector were
Between the leac and Fearns
From the Burn of Fearns to the raised beach
Adjectives are simple. They are used sparingly but are highly evocative:
a straight, slender young rowan
straight their backs, bent their heads
the road is under mild moss
sniffing at the grass-grown ruined homes
From the Burn of Fearns to the raised beach
The poet establishes effect through compelling imagery. The repeating beautiful images of people as native trees link the two throughout the poem. In contrast, the artificial plantation of pines is reflected in harsh sounding words:
Proud tonight the pine cocks/ crowing on top of Cnoc an Ra
Cnoc is pronounced ‘croc’ adding to the effectiveness of the phrase - onomatopoeia reflects the call of the pine cocks (crows)