Irish Poet Seamus Heaney, 1939-2013

"But I've no spade to follow men like them. /  Between my finger and my thumb / The squat pen rests. / I'll dig with it." -Seamus Heaney, "Digging"

Irish poet Seamus Heaney

Last week, Irish poet Seamus Heaney passed away at the age of 74. Sometimes referred to as a "father figure" in Irish poetry, Heaney's work is at the same time beautiful and accessible. He always reminded me a little of an Irish Robert Frost, perhaps because of his clear style and his frequent references to natural or pastoral images.

BBC ran a number of stories on his life and death, but the best testament to him is his obituary, which not only talks about his life but includes some representative lines from his poems (a few of which I've quoted above). Besides his original work, Heaney did a pretty fantastic translation of Beowulf back in 2001, setting the original Old English epic side by side with his version of the text and keeping very true to the rhythm, meter, and poetry of the piece.

Check out some of Heaney's poetry and celebrate the life and career of this incredible writer!