Caran An-t-saoghail (The Wiles of the World): An Anthology of Nineteenth-century Gaelic Verse

An anthology of Gaelic verse with English translation, and introductions to the poetry and its themes. This book covers the main types and topics of poetry produced in Gaelic during the 19th century. Ten primary themes are involved – homeland, clearances, emigration, transport, panegyric, love, war, humour, moral exhortation and religious experience. The anthology shows how Gaelic poets reacted to the many changes which were taking place in both their native Highland communities and their adopted communities in the Lowlands and beyond. It also offers a look at the literary creativity of the 19th century, and aims to show a greater range of poetic skills and approaches than has been previously recognized. As the poets respond to the “wilds of the world”, their output covers elegies on death to songs of humour, from nostalgia for a lost world to the joy of a new-found religious faith.