Sorley MacLean (Scottish Gaelic: Somhairle MacGill-Eain; 26 October 1911 – 24 November 1996) was a Scottish Gaelic poet, described by the Scottish Poetry Library as "one of the major Scottish poets of the modern era" because of his "mastery of his chosen medium and his engagement with the European poetic tradition and European politics". Nobel Prize Laureate Seamus Heaney credited MacLean with saving Scottish Gaelic poetry.He was raised in a strict Presbyterian family on the island of Raasay, immersed in Gaelic culture and literature from birth, but abandoned religion for socialism. In the late 1930s, he befriended many Scottish Renaissance figures, such as Hugh MacDiarmid and Douglas Young. He was wounded three times while serving in the Royal Corps of Signals during the North African Campaign. MacLean published little after the war, due to his perfectionism. In 1956, he became head teacher at Plockton High School, where he advocated for the use of the Gaelic language in formal education.
In his poetry, MacLean juxtaposed traditional Gaelic elements with mainstream European elements, frequently comparing the Highland Clearances with contemporary events, especially the Spanish Civil War. His work was a unique fusion of traditional and modern elements that has been credited with restoring Gaelic tradition to its proper place and reinvigorating and modernizing the Gaelic language. Although his most influential works, Dàin do Eimhir and An Cuilthionn, were published in 1943, MacLean did not become well known until the 1970s, when his works were published in English translation. His later poem Hallaig, published 1954, achieved "cult status": 134 outside Gaelic-speaking circles for its supernatural representation of a village depopulated in the Highland Clearances and came to represent all Scottish Gaelic poetry in the English-speaking imagination.
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Some of their strengths
Sorley MacLean has many admirable traits.
Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Confident, Intense, Energetic, Imaginative, Creative, Generous, and Honest.
Intense and Passionate
According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, Sorley MacLean is someone who is an intense, passionate, and intuitive person who is fiercely independent, authentic and direct when engaging with others. A person who seems to identify with family, heritage and ancestry.
Helpful and Supportive
Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know Sorley MacLean well know them as someone who can be accepting, supportive, and productive, like a garden.
Imaginative and Sentimental
According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe Sorley MacLean as someone who is imaginative, sentimental, and in touch with emotions.
A person who has extremely good memory and analytical skills, likes to make sure that everyone gets along, enjoys all kinds of situations and people, has a talent for travel and languages, and who makes lifelong friends.
Courageous and Strong
Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, Sorley MacLean is someone who is a risk-taker and a pioneer who only gets stronger through the hardships that are encountered in life.
They are also someone who is active, giving, optimistic, and cheerful, and who possesses a charisma that attracts friends and admirers.
Mysterious and Methodical
According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, Sorley MacLean tends to be someone who can come across as mysterious and intense, who can be a complex thinker who is methodical and intuitive, and who can overcome challenges that most others would not be able to.
Some of Sorley MacLean's challenges
While Sorley MacLean has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.
For example, Sorley MacLean can be Stubborn, Complicated, Brusque, Impulsive, Careless, Arrogant, and Status-seeking.
Complicated and Brusque
One of Sorley MacLean's key challenges is that they are someone who can be complicated and gruff with others.
Irritable and Moody
Sorley MacLean is someone who can be irritable and moody, have a tendency to experience self-doubt, be too secretive, can take too many risks, and who can have an extreme approach to managing personal finances.
Sensitive and Aggressive
Finally, Sorley MacLean also can be too "touchy-feely", have a hard time expressing feelings, be too aggressive and headstrong, and be too unforgiving of others' mistakes.