Information

The poetry is more relaxed in this collection. It's generally related to his childhood and his cultural heritage. Anahorish is where he grew up and is found in rural Northern Ireland. He returned to Anahorish in 2007.

Throughout the poem, he makes constant use of enjambment to continue the flow. It's written in blank-verse.

There's a lot of nature imagery along with a lexical field of "nature" which includes words such as "water," "grass," "hill," "cobbles," "ice."

He also uses Gaelic as "place of clear water" is a translated version of Anahorish. This could be intentional to metaphorically reference how Ireland was under English rule.

Anahorish is described by Heaney as almost a form of paradise, specifically, the Garden of Eden.

Sibilance is utilized to mimic the sound of the water.

My

Possessive pronoun which implies ownership.

clear water

Water imagery that represents Heaney's childhood. The adjective "clear" is a reference to the purity of childhood.

first hill

Displays his childhood naivety.

springs washed

Water imagery along with nature imagery to demonstrate the joys of his childhood.

darkened cobbles

Aesthetic fallacy.

Anahorish

Repetition of the title. It could emphasize how much he misses his childhood home. This is further supported by the fact that he was in California and was mostly homesick.

consonant, vowel-meadow

Using language to celebrate his identity since the Gaelic language uses more vowels.

after-image

Suggesting the passage of time, which makes sense since this poem is rather introspective and is about Heaney reflecting on his past, specifically, his childhood.

winter evenings

Seasonal change.

break the light ice

Work, labor and achievements through said work.

dunghills

Landscape.