Technique as dousing
In discussing the technique of writing, Seamus Heaney conjures a water diviner as a metaphor. At first glance far-fetched, as...
War as weaving
This is the first time I have heard of the gods weaving human fate on a loom; echoes of Penelope, but...
Use it wisely
May those who have life-marking power use it wisely. It struck me as a curious phrase.
Source: Beowulf, Seamus Heaney...
Of ships, boats, and prows
On a warmly, windy day, perfect for summer sailing, bringing you a trio of triologisms with a maritime theme: 'wood-wreathed...
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’.
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Language as anchor and mooring
Heaney uses several maritime metaphors in discussing a poem set in a sea-faring culture. Here he refers to speech that...
Of wood and winter
Filling up the reservoirs with summer warmth, to keep the 'blood-sullen winter' at bay. But a 'frost-stiffened wood' can be...
Bull’s eye writing
You can just hear and see the word-arrow striking home and whooshingly vibrating its meaning as its velocity comes to...
May you not thole
'Thole' is an Old English word for 'to suffer' or to endure without complaint. It also refers to a pin, typically one...
As healthy as …
A bracing, surprising simile for presenting something as a picture of health and wholesomeness. Here it is about reading material,...
Made up and yet true
A piercing rationale for the arts, if a rationale is needed. They are made up, but ...
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