On a Raised Beach by Hugh MacDiarmid
"On a Raised Beach" is a poem by Hugh MacDiarmid, included in his collection "Stony Limits, and Other Poems" published in 1934. The poem reflects MacDiarmid's experiences in the Shetland Islands during the mid-1930s, where he sought to convey the stark, windswept landscape that characterizes the region. Employing a unique dialect enriched with modern scientific terminology, MacDiarmid begins with a catalog of geological terms that evoke the physicality of the environment. This technical vocabulary intertwines with references to religious symbolism, suggesting a deeper exploration of existential themes.
The poem captures the poet's feelings of isolation, portraying his surroundings as both forbidding and beautiful, which he deems essential to overcoming spiritual desolation. Throughout the extensive work, MacDiarmid delves into philosophical inquiries about permanence and the nature of existence, using the stones on the beach as symbols of enduring truth. His reflective tone, reminiscent of biblical verse, encourages readers to ponder profound questions. The balance between philosophical contemplation and vivid landscape imagery ultimately leads to a meditative space that invites exploration of both the physical and spiritual realms.
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On a Raised Beach by Hugh MacDiarmid
Excerpted from an article in Magill’s Survey of World Literature, Revised Edition
First published: 1934 (collected in Stony Limits, and Other Poems, 1934)
Type of work: Poem
The Work
This poem appears in Stony Limits, and Other Poems (1934). To convey the treeless, windswept, almost uninhabited world of the Shetland Islands where he lived during the mid-1930’s, MacDiarmid attempted to craft another dialect, using technical vocabulary. Employing modern scientific terminology, MacDiarmid begins “On a Raised Beach” with a catalog of geologic terms:
All is lithogenesis—or lochia,
The geological allusions are mingled with references to religious phenomena (the Caaba is a shrine holding a sacred black stone). The poet joins his feelings of isolation with an exceptionally close scrutiny of the terrain in order to avoid spiritual desolation. MacDiarmid felt he was in a kind of exile, but he thought if he could enliven the bare and forbidding terrain with a creative appreciation of its beauty, then he could thereby demonstrate the redemptive power of art.
After establishing the setting, MacDiarmid turns toward an extended philosophical consideration of the stones on the beach. In long lines and measured cadences, MacDiarmid develops a mood of meditative reflection, raising some of the most fundamental questions of human existence. While insisting on the literal qualities of the stones, the poem aims toward transcendence. The stones stand for permanence (“There are plenty of ruined buildings in the world but no ruined stones”); MacDiarmid recognizes that a refocusing of attention is required to establish a connection with higher realms. Acknowledging his somewhat intemperate nature—“Hot blood is of no use in dealing with eternity”—MacDiarmid creates a serious context for inquiry, his long lines echoing biblical verse.
The poem is more than four hundred lines in length, and while MacDiarmid was accustomed to working in long forms, he knew that the intense mood he was developing could not be sustained until the conclusion. Consequently, he balances philosophical propositions with images of landscape. The language of science helps him reach an “abode of supreme serenity” in which the largest questions, if not answered, have at least been posed.
Bibliography
Baglow, John. Hugh MacDiarmid: The Poetry of Self. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1987.
Bold, Alan. MacDiarmid: Christopher Murray Grieve, a Critical Biography. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1988.
Buthlay, Kenneth. Hugh MacDiarmid. Edinburgh: Scottish Academic Press, 1982.
Glen, Duncan, and Hugh MacDiarmid. The MacDiarmids: A Conversation—Hugh MacDiarmid and Duncan Glen. Preston, Lancashire, England: Akros, 1970.
Herbert, W. N. To Circumjack MacDiarmid: The Poetry and Prose of Hugh MacDiarmid. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press, 1992.
Lyall, Scott. Hugh MacDiarmid’s Poetry and Politics of Place: Imagining a Scottish Republic. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2006.
O’Connor, Laura. Haunted English: The Celtic Fringe, the British Empire, and De-Anglicization. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006.