Seamus Heaney, a truly great poet, just passed away. I am truly saddened this morning. I was first introduced to him through his beautiful translation of Beowulf. I also read his poems during college (both in class and out), and one of my dear friends gave me a Seamus Heaney book, The Haw Lantern, for graduation. He was a Nobel Laureate in literature with a great view on life. This is a great loss for the literary community.
In honor of Seamus, I will share my favorite poem of his here. Enjoy!
Scaffolding
Masons, when they start upon a building,
Are careful to test out the scaffolding;
Make sure that planks won’t slip at busy points,
Secure all ladders, tighten bolted joints.
And yet all this comes down when the job’s done,
Showing off walls of sure and solid stone.
So if, my dear, there sometimes seems to be
Old bridges breaking between you and me,
Never fear. We may let the scaffolds fall,
Confident that we have built our wall.