Technique as dousing
In discussing the technique of writing, Seamus Heaney conjures a water diviner as a metaphor. At first glance far-fetched, as...
Past into future will go
I like this concept of an inheritance as something solidly rooted in the past, but ‘willable forward again and again...
Translation as hammering
Heaney conveys in a simple image the difficulty of translating poetry. Elsewhere, he refers to his progress as being ‘scriptorium...
A bright guarantee
Many who have seen hope return and fears dissolve under the bright light of morning may appreciate this notion of a ‘bright guarantee of God’.
...
Rock-piled roof
Another structure you would hope could keep the Grendel gremlins out, ideally providing a 'dry-stone vault' underneath.
Source: Seamus Heaney, Beowulf...
Swingeing cuts
'Swingeing cuts' usually refer to sharp budget cuts - note the 'e' making it a soft 'g' (like a 'j'),...
The poetry of endurance
Endurance is intrinsic to the poem of Beowulf, and is vividly and touchingly depicted here as a bedrock of humanity....
Use it wisely
May those who have life-marking power use it wisely. It struck me as a curious phrase.
Source: Beowulf, Seamus Heaney...
Unreel writing
There's something of fairy-tale magic in this idea of writing as a thread teased out from the writer's cupboard of...
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