The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slap Of soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edge Through living roots awaken in my head. 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.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Heaney compares his pen to a spade, choosing to write about his heritage rather than follow the physical labor of his ancestors.
- In plain terms
- He uses his pen instead of a shovel to honor his family roots.
- What can you take from it?
- Your tools may differ from ancestors but can still honor them.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How does your work honor your past?
- What tools do you use to dig?
Another view
It assumes a clear separation between physical and intellectual labor that may not exist.
More from Seamus Heaney
I rhyme To see myself, to set the darkness echoing.
Permalink to quote #1 God is a foreman with certain definite views Who orders life in shifts of work and leisure.
Permalink to quote #3 Is there life before death? That's chalked up In Ballymurphy. Competence with pain, Coherent miseries, a bite and a sup, We hug our little destiny again.
Permalink to quote #4
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