Originally posted by Padraig
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Whew! I was worried for a moment there, Padraig...thought I'd miss the steal!
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Via a pal of mine I got a year's free subscription to the London Review of Books. In the edition which came through the letterbox today there was a very entertaining and interesting article by Philip Terry about his father, Arthur Terry, who was a friend of Seamus from their time in Queen's. The article is called 'Tadpoles', and concerns punctuation, among other things. I enjoyed it very much. It seems to be one of their free and available articles.
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I have just heard, John, of the death of Seamus Deane, another friend of Seamus Heaney. They were both famous sons of St.Columb's College, where I remember them as younger students. They represented Town and County then, and I think continued to do so.
Last edited by Padraig; 13-05-21, 11:50.Comment
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Sad to hear that, Padraig. Last year, after reading the article he wrote about 'Famous Seamus' , I read 'Reading in the Dark' which I found fascinating, funny and quite tragic.Originally posted by Padraig View PostComment
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For the Eighth Anniversary of his death, 30 August 2013.
Weighing In
The 56 lb.weight. A solid iron
Unit of negation. Stamped and cast
With an inset, rung-thick, moulded, short crossbar
For a handle. Squared-off and harmless looking
Until you tried to lift it, then a socket-ripping,
Life-belittling force -
Gravity's black box, the immovable
Stamp and squat and square-root of dead-weight.
Yet balance it
Against another one placed on a weighbridge -
On a well-adjusted, freshly-greased weighbridge -
And everything trembled, flowed with give and take.
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And this is all the good tidings amount to:
This principle of bearing, bearing up
And bearing out, just having to
Balance the intolerable in others
Against our own, having to abide
Whatever we settled for and settled into
Against our better judgement. Passive
Suffering makes the world go round.
Peace on earth, men of good will, all that
Holds good only as long as the balance holds,
The scales ride steady and the angels' strain
Prolongs itself at an unearthly pitch.
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To refuse the other cheek. To cast the stone.
Not to do so sometime, not to break with
The obedient one you hurt yourself into
Is to fail the hurt, the ingrown rule.
Prophesy who struck thee! When soldiers mocked
Blindfolded Jesus and he didn't strike back
They were neither shamed nor edified, although
Something was made manifest - the power
Of power not exercised, of hope inferred
By the powerless forever. Still, for Jesus' sake,
Do me a favour, would you, just this once?
Prophesy, give scandal, cast the stone.
*
Two side to every question, yes, yes, yes. . .
But every now and then, just weighing in
Is what it must come down to, and without
Any self-exculpation or self-pity.
Alas, one night when follow-through was called for
And a quick hit would have fairly rankled,
You countered that it was my narrowness
That kept me keen, so got a first submission.
I held back when I should have drawn blood
And that way (mea culpa) lost an edge.
A deep mistaken chivalry, old friend.
At this stage only foul play cleans the slate.
Seamus Heaney from The Spirit Level 1996Comment
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Adrian Dunbar is reading 'On Seamus Heaney' by Roy Foster on Radio 4, starting on Monday morning.
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I shall be listening, John. I got that book when it came out last year. It was not an easy read - dozens of references to be followed up and constant reference to the poetry volumes. I'm still at it on and off. Looking forward to finding out if I learned anything!!Originally posted by johncorrigan View PostComment
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John, I've been following the readings on Radio 4 - can't help filling in the blanks of the abridgement - but while I was doing so You Tube kindly prompted me to have a look at this:
I think you'll find it terrific. It's Roy Foster talking about his book 'On Seamus Heaney' with Catherine Heaney. The video was made October 2020 and is packed with detail, familiar and new. I was not aware of it until now, but perhaps it's old hat to Heaney followers.Comment
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I've been a bit slow getting round to things this last few weeks, Padraig, what with all the family around. I had to start the 'Book of the Week' again, and glad I did - got a few notes to follow up on, particularly revisiting his Nobel Prize acceptance speech. I really enjoyed the Catherine Heaney and Paul Foster film - reinforced a few things, and again, reminded me of things I had meant to follow up on...not least a look at the Sweeney poems.Originally posted by Padraig View PostJohn, I've been following the readings on Radio 4 - can't help filling in the blanks of the abridgement - but while I was doing so You Tube kindly prompted me to have a look at this:
I think you'll find it terrific. It's Roy Foster talking about his book 'On Seamus Heaney' with Catherine Heaney. The video was made October 2020 and is packed with detail, familiar and new. I was not aware of it until now, but perhaps it's old hat to Heaney followers.
While I was digging around I came across this in that way that algorithms pull you in. It's Paul Simon in Dublin in 2014 paying tribute to Seamus, with our mighty pal, Martin Hayes. Simon takes three of Seamus' poems, the Haiku 'Dangerous Pavements', combining it with 'Seeing Things' and 'The Ashplant' into a very Paul Simon-ish song. I really enjoyed it...and thanks again for the link, Padraig.
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Thanks for that, John. It never stops does it? One path leading to another. And here are Paul Simon and Martin Hayes with Seamus Heaney creating another variation on a theme. Paul Muldoon was involved there too in the result.Originally posted by johncorrigan View Post
The haiku, 'Dangerous Pavements', was entitled 1.1.87. Seeing Things, the collection, was published in 1991, and includes, in sequence, Seeing Things, The Ash Plant and 1.1.87. All three are 'about' Seamus Heaney's father, who died in October 1986. There's a certain added poignancy to placing Dangerous Pavements to conclude that sequence.
PS 07.01.22 On reflection I have dug out Seeing Things to re read again! I see I have forgotten that the very first poem is about Aeneas's proposed journey to the underworld to meet his father again.Last edited by Padraig; 07-01-22, 14:27.Comment
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BBC 4 is repeating a programme from three years ago this evening, 'Seamus Heaney and the Music of What Happens'.
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Very much enjoyed the compilation of various recordings of 'Beowulf' from the archives held together by Heaney reading his translation of the poem, which aired on Drama on 3 last Sunday.
Last edited by johncorrigan; 05-11-22, 11:24.Comment
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Missed that John, but catching up now. Thanks for the link. He reads well does Heaney.Originally posted by johncorrigan View PostComment
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Couldn't agree more, Padraig. He draws you right into the story...a great collage of sound, I thought.Originally posted by Padraig View PostComment
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