The poems that touch me are those that distil a feeling, an experience, an emotion, into a simple few lines. Seamus Heaney was a master of this technique. In Valediction, from the 1966 collection Death of a Naturalist, the absence of a woman is felt keenly. It is a love poem, short and honest, longing for the return of his love.
[photo: thepoetryfoundation.org]
‘Valediction’
Lady, with the frilled blouse
And simple tartan skirt,
Since you left the house
Its emptiness has hurt
All thought.
Read these other excerpts and find a new poet to love:-
‘Happiness’ by Stephen Dunn
‘May-Day Song for North Oxford’ by John Betjeman
‘I Loved Her Like the Leaves’ by Kakinonoto Hitomaro
And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
A #poem to read in the bath: ‘Valediction’ by Seamus Heaney https://wp.me/p5gEM4-4bN via @SandraDanby
sandra danby 