Seamus Heaney: Divisions and Allegiances - Colby College

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by  Maurice Harmon

CCoollbbyy QQuuaarrtteerrllyy
Volume 30
Article 3
Issue 1 March
March 1994
SSeeaammuuss HHeeaanneeyy:: DDiivviissiioonnss aanndd AAlllleeggiiaanncceess
Maurice Harmon
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Colby Quarterly, Volume 30, no.1, March 1994, p. 7-16
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Harmon: Seamus Heaney: Divisions and Allegiances
SeamusHeaneyatColby,February, 1993
Published by Digital Commons @ Colby, 1994 1
Colby Quarterly, Vol. 30, Iss. 1 [1994], Art. 3
Seamus Heaney:
Divisions and Allegiances
by MAURICEHARMON
T HEPOETRY INSeamusHeaney'sfirstthreecollections-DeathofaNatural
ist(1966),DoorintotheDark(1969), Wintering Out(1972)-seemstobe
a poetry of happy recovery in which the imagination repossesses a secure,
familiar background. Deceptively, it transcends the divide that education and
departurehavemadebetweentheselfthatwritesandtheselfthatiswrittenabout.
Thatneedto createan imaginative worldinbetweenwhatwas andwhatis, or
between what is and what the imagination prefers, runs throughoutHeaney's
career. Intheseearly books hecreatesan attractiveplacewiththematerialsof
an actualplace.
.Tospeakoftheearlypoetryonlyintermsofhappyrelationshipistomissthe
tensions out of which it grows. The creative consciousness works across a
division between understanding and experience. The poethas been distanced
from the things which were a natural part ofhis formative years. To miss the
disruptionanduncertaintycausedbythatloss,andtheresultingneedtodiscover
andfashionanindividualidentity,istoundervaluethestrugglefromwhichthe
poetrycomes.Thepoetrymakesupforloss,refusestobedefeated,worksoutan
attractiveinterpretationofthepastandin theprocesscommemoratesawayof
life and a Wordsworthian fostering by beauty and fear. It strengthens the
connection,isself-strengtheningandself-creating,aforging ofvaluesthrough
a process ofsympathetic reckoning. Thepoetry defines whathe values in his
former community and in that definition defines and demonstrates its own
values-thoseofcraftandofbelonging,ofbeingintouchwithandtruetoaplace,
whatithasproducedandwhatithasgonethrough.
Ifwetake"Digging"asthemomentinwhichthepoetfirstfeelswhathemay
do, we can take "Bogland" as the first direction-finder out of the familiar.
"Bogland"'sidealisedlandscaperatifies whattheimaginationholds dear. The
choice taken seems to exclude the road not taken, the one, in effect, Heaney
actually took. The more successful he was in creating a viable past the more
conscioushebecameofallthatseparatedhimfromit.Atthesametime,theworld
thathetookas hisimagination'sdomain inthemid-sixtieswas, withintwoor
threeyears,afflictedbytherecurrenceofNorthernTroubles.These,too,hadto
befaced; thesignsofthatcomingstormcouldbereadinthelandscape.
Poems that take linguistic soundings read the landscape but alsodefine its
divisions between Planter and Gael, Protestant and Catholic, Unionist and
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Harmon: Seamus Heaney: Divisions and Allegiances
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Nationalist.Thereisalegacyofinjusticeandfear.Thepoetry'sbeautyofsound
and shape substitutes but does not deny the dissonance ofpolitical division,
dispossession,colonisationandloss.Atthedeepestlevelthepoemsfightback,
saying that deprivation cannot, will not, deny the poet the fullest possible
imaginative achievement. That claim is subtly presented, the more tellingly
present for being conveyed within image, metaphor and sound. Resentment,
nationalist hurt, and racial wrong are driving forces. Some poems evoke an
ancestrybeyondTudorinvasionandplantation.Somefirewarningshotsacross
the gates ofthe demesne. The Moyola poems are detonations underground,
where rivers run deep. Their explosive power is all the greater for being so
melodious. In these ways Heaney finds a resolution to the challenges ofhis
backgroundandculture,totheheritageofdispossession,topersonalmemories
ofinjustice,andofbeingmadetofeelinferior,inaculturewhereone'sveryname
evokes apolitical-religiouscoloration. He also takes apolitical stand without
beingdrawnintotherhetoricofpolitics.Thepoetrygrowsfromhisstrugglewith
himself,from hisdiscovery,acceptanceandcreationofhisfated field.
Ifhewastoaccepthisresponsibilityasapoetwhowasdrawn,as"Bogland"
makesclear,towardsafullinvestigationofitslayered,complex,dividednature,
hewouldfindameansbywhichtoinvestigateit.WinteringOut(1972),aswell
astakingsoundings,tookstock.Initsexaminationofheritage,hesideswiththe
mound-dwellers,thelastmummer,theservantboywhodrawshimintohistrail.
Theservantboyknowsthebackdoorsofthelittlebarons;hehasdevelopedaway
ofdealing with historical injustice; he keeps his patience and his counsel, is
"resentfulandimpenitent."Behindhimliethecausesofhiscondition: planta
tions, poverty, starvation, the "geniuses who creep" in Spenser's terrible ac
count. Like the last mummer Heaney is "trammelled/in the taboos of the
country," picks his way through "the long toils of blood/and feuding," is
adaptableandself-protective.Thelanguageanticipatestheverballandscapeof
North.
Intheextensiveinvestigationofhowtheselffeels,andhowtheselfresponds
toasituationthatisinitselfnotsimple,thepoetrycreatesavarietyofmirroring
presences;notjustthemanhoopedtohisfields, notjustthemusic-makerswith
theirearstotheground,buttheservantboy,themummer,thedispossessed.He
is"snared"tothelandhehascomposedhabitsfor. Heis"hooped,""sleeved,"
hidesinthehollowtrunk,Irelandishisnation,hespeaksinaself-identifyingway
inaplacewherespeechrevealswhoyouare.Heregistersallofthis,claimsitall,
acknowledges itall. He will notshirkordisguise both whatattracts and what
seemsalien.Thepoemsrespondtothetugandpullofadividedheritagewhich
hedoesnotsimplify;themoreheexploresit,themorerichlyandvariouslycan
itberealised. Hecan optfor an attractivereadingofplace names, sincethese
verify whatheis. Heyieldsto aself-definingimpulse: "Iopenedmyright-of
way,""Icomposedhabits,""Iwasreadytogoanywhere,""Imightturn,""Ijust
makeout,""Icockmyear,""Iwouldquestion,""Ipushinto," "Iamsleeved."
In theseprojections ofan investigative, identifying pioneer, he negotiates his
way in thelayeredlandscape. Theservantboy is also thewatchingpoetin"A
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MAURICE HARMON 9
NewSong."In"TheOtherSide,"thedispossessedspeakandobserve:language
both identifies anddivides. On theothersidethechosen people, thepromised
land,theBible;onhissidethepoorland,thescraggyacres,themournfulrosary.
There is, to be sure, a kind of fanning community that can overlook these
divisions,butwhathappenswhenthatneighbourputsontheuniformofanarmed
B-Special, mans check points on the roads, interrogates, and asserts control?
Howdoesthatexperienceaffecttheservantboy,thelastmummer,themenwith
thememoriesofancientwrongsofwhichthisisjusttheimmediatesign?In"The
ConstableCalls"thelawismale,dominating,andfrightening. The"Docker'"s
fistwoulddropahammeronaCatholic.Therearemorewaysthanoneofkeeping
yourindependence.Thenavvy hasnotrelented,heispluggedtothehardcore.
Heaney's road has more twists and dips to it, itaccommodates a freer way of
going.Inthelatesixtiesthehammerbegantofallandhasbeenfallingeversince.
Poetryoccurssomewherebetweendreamingandthinking.Muchthatgoeson
isinstinctiveandunpremeditated.Poetstrustsecrettributariesthat,attimes,flow
together, meetingandconsortingagreeably.MuchofHeaney's watermusicis
atributetotheprocess. SoateseveralpoemsinNorth (1975)whichrepeatthe
emphaticself-definingdrive.Whatheneededandwhathefoundwasametaphor
toilluminatehisaccumulatedawarenessoftheNorth'spolitics.ReadingGlob's
BogPeopleengenderedanintellectualandimaginativescheme: apaganreligion
comparable to Christianity, a myth ofkilling and resurrection, the images of
TollundMan,GrauballeMan,andothers,morevividthantheimagesofChrist
orthesaintsinthefamiliartexts;parallelsbetweenearlyIronAgeatrocities,and
similar deeds carried out in Northern Ireland. The manner of writing poems
which echoed with cultural, racial, and historical definition is replaced with a
more explicit moral definition. The "we" and the "our" ofpoems that were
admissions of happy belonging give way to a more troubled reflection on
complicity as well as belonging. When the violence affectsand involves your
kithandkin,youarealsoinvolved,eventhoughyouneverfireashot.Whenyour
poetry responds to historical wrong you are involved. Ironically, because the
poeticevidenceofyoursympathyisembodiedinimageandmetaphor,thosewho
would claim you as theirs and with whom you feel closely bound may be
dissatisfiedwithwhatyouwrite."NowtheywillsayIbitethehandthatfedme."
Youalsoquestionyourself.Towhatdegreeandinwhatwaysmayyoucomment
directly on political violence? Where does yourresponsibility to life end and
yourresponsibility to art begin? Whatseparates the two? You experienceand
sufferadualloyalty.Youmayseekasolutiontothatdivision, butthesolution
is neverclear-cut.
Thepoems in North lookinto the self, notoutfrom theself. They are self
examiningpilgrimagesintotheconscience. Inroughoutlinethey maybeseen
to animate a shifting drama of response, with different personae, different
scenes.Theyanimatehisinvolvement."Itouchitagain,""Iwinditin,""Ipush
back through dictions"..."re-enter memory," "I hold my lady's headllike a
crystal.""Iunpin,""Iunwrap"..."andsee.""Ireachpast."Withintheportrait
oftwoculturestheyenactavarietyofwaysinwhichtoreflectbothworlds,and
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tousethetwoinmutuallyrevealingexposure. Theytesttheappropriatenessof
hisreaction,releasehisdelightinwhatworks,remindhimofthedangersinthe
comparison, recognise its evasive, voyeuristic aspects, and condemn what he
does. "Funeral Rites" wills itself towards the slow triumph of the bonding,
comforting funeral. It leads to the image ofGunnar in a state ofblessedness
beyondrevenge, wherethecycleofviolencehasended."North'''sepiphanyis
thesavageryhehas transcended. In aself-dramatisingmime, "VikingDublin:
TrialPieces"identifiesthepoetasamoralistsniffingoutcorruption.Heshows
ustheVikingsforwhattheyare:hoardersofgrudges,killers,gombeen-men.In
"The Bog Queen," the victim rises from the dark and speaks directly. "The
Grauballe Man" inspects a victim so perfected that he does not seem to be a
corpse. In "Punishment,"themostself-accusingofthepoems, theempathetic
imaginationisevenmoreintimate."Iwouldhavecast. ..Ithestonesofsilence."
"Iwouldhavestooddumb"andI
connive
incivilizedoutrage
yetunderstandtheexact
andtribal,intimaterevenge.
In "StrangeFruit" the beheaded girl outstares atrocity and the poet's stylised
transmutation. "Kinship" celebrates the bog under its various aspects. "This
centreholds." "Igrewoutofallthis." Hewas alsoHamlettheDane,parablist,
and so 00. "Ocean's Love to Ireland," and related poems, give the historical
backgroundofpossessionanddispossession.He"deified"memoriesofhisown
life, butthisisourland; wehavesavageways, too. Even-handedly,scapegoat,
victim, divided witness, thepoetsuffers,digests, andcreatesloveandhorror.
Heaney's work, the poetry, the articles, interviews, reviews, essays, and
uncollected poems, reveal conflictand uncertainty. There are inconsistencies
andcontradictions,whathesaysononeoccasionqualifiedby whathesayson
another, thechoices madein onebookofpoemsqualified by options taken in
another,perceptionsinonesectionofabookqualifiedbyperceptionsinanother.
Thepoemsenactandshareadramaofdecisionandindecision.Thepoetwrites
to seehimself, his situationanditspossibilities, toopendoors intothelightof
therationalimagination,aswellasintothedarkinterioroftheself.Hereaches
out in discovery and intuition, returns to what was already perceived and
recovered, enters into it in a deeper exploration to feel renewed and newly
validated.Heisalwaysapilgrimbackintothelandoftheselfanditscontexts,
alwaysasearcheraftersecretword-hoardswhoexpandsthesenseofconflictand
paininthehinterlandandinhimself.Hereenactswhathasmadehimandinthat
reenactment finds himself. But it is not an uninterrupted, error-free line of
development. It is inaccurate and unfair to draw over him, in misguided
admiration,achartofconstantgrowthanddevelopment.Suchpraiseleavesout
thestrugglethroughwhichandby whichthepoetry andgrowth takeplace.
InNorthbyadoptingthevoiceofthevictimorbycelebratingtheredeeming
processesofthebog,Heaneyavoidsstatingdirectly andsimplisticallyhowhe
feels. Healso releases language from the kind ofinertness that a response to
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immediatehorrormayinduce.Itisthebogqueenwhonarratesherstory;itisthe
Viking dead who become things ofbeauty. By analogy presenthorror is sub
sumed.Themethodsweetenssavagery.Playfulsubmissiontotheforcesofthe
bogdistancesatrocityandproducestherisenbeauty.Butthetonechanges: the
mothergroundissourwiththebloodofherfaithful;weslaughterforthecommon
good, shave the heads ofthe notorious, "the goddess swallows/our love and
terror." Theimaginationdigests whatevercomes.
WhereasPartOneofNorthcreatesaworldbesidethereal world,mirroring
itbutapart,PartTwomarksthepresenceofpolicemen,politicians,journalists,
orangedrums,sectarianism,andcuteevasion.Itsdatesmarkapersonalsequence
ofconfusion,uncertainty,fear,inferioritiesinducedbychurchandstate,andthe
stirringsofindividuality.Thereisthecharacteristicnoteofunease: "forallthis
artand sedentary trade/I am incapable." The voice, too, wavers: itexpresses
communalirritation.
Thepoemsleadonto"Exposure"whereinwinteryweatherthepoetquestions
hisresponsibility.Thisisself-definitionofakindnotattemptedbeforeinallthe
placings of the mimetic self, the histrionic imagination cauled in history, or
geography,orlanguage.Insteadofcertaintiesitposesquestions.Howandwhy
didheenduplikethis, bothvictimandwitness, sharingMandelstam'stristia?
NowtheVikingdeadspeakwithforkedtongues.Thescalesarebalanced. The
imaginedherostandsforasimplicitythatwillnotworkinacomplexsituation.
Thereisnoplacefortheonce-in-a-lifetimedeed.Butthereareothervirtuessuch
asendurance,patience,precision,andwisdominthefaceofsadness.Andthere
is,asthepoemitselfdemonstrates,asdoNorth, FieldWorkandStationIsland,
thevirtueofhonest,balancedreckoning.Thisquietnessisastrengthbecauseit
says whatall goodpoemssay, thatpoetry has force by virtueofitsown truth.
In 1974Heaneysaidthatthepoet'sfunction wasnottohelppeopletoadapt
to the Northern crisis or to overcome it. His role was to give a true pictureof
man's inhumanity to man, and for that he found the Icelandic sagas a good
parallel, "dealingastheydidwithatightlyknitcommunity,reciprocalfeuding
and murders which did not shock anyone too badly."1 The shock is absorbed
through poetry, filtered in the imaginative treatment. Gunnar is a beautiful
image,butthevengeanceinfactcontinued.Artcancreateimagesofbeautyto
transcendandtransmutebloodanddeath.Butthatachievementisnotaformof
callousindifference.JustbecausethepoemsinNorthbecomeobjectsofbeauty,
absorbing suffering and death, and just because he places one world beside
another,doesnotmeanthatthepoetdoesnotsufferwiththepeople.Heisboth
AntaeusandHercules.Theexperiencesthatpunishthem,theatrocities,deaths,
imprisonments, violence, fear, frustration, also enter him. What he does is to
digest and reuse this savage food, refusing to meet savagery with a brutal
response.Thatwoulddemeanpoetryandthepoet.Instead,hecreatesthingsof
beauty in thebeliefthatbeautifulobjectssatisfyandsoothe.
FieldWork(1979)hasacuttingedge.Thepoemsoutlineaworldthathasits
1. IrishTimes, 14Nov. 1974.
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enduringsimplicitiesandpieties,itssolidbeautyofobjectandtask.Butviolence
intrudes:soldierspatrollingwheretheydonotbelong,youngmenwithgunson
thehillsides,intimationsofviolence,questionsofsurvival,theneedforforgive
nessandunderstanding;"theislandisfullofcomfortlessvoices.""Who'ssorry
forourtrouble?" "Whatwillbecomeofus?"Was thefisherman in"Casualty"
culpable? "Howperilous isitto chooselNotto love the things we're shown?"
"Whatismyapologyforpoetry?"Questioningisnowamodeaswellasamood.
Thevoiceisclosetothepoet'sactualvoice.Thedramaofself-perceptionismore
intense.Theartist-fishermanistruetoimpulsesandallegiancesthatmustnotbe
overruled.Inpoemafterpoemtheartistgoesabouthisbusiness.Thatjustifica
tionhastobemadeinthefaceofconflictingpressuresbetweenartandlife.For
example,how shouldthepoethavereacted whenhiscousin wasshot?
Heaneywasdeeplytroubledbythesufferingandself-sacrificeofthehunger
strikers. They werevictimsasmuchas thosein theearlyIronAge. Ifhecould
reactsympatheticallytothem,couldhenotreactwithequalsympathytothese
nearerhome?Mighthebetooscrupulousinrefusingtogetinvolved?Hefeltthe
urge to respond, buttodo so, he argued, is to loseone'smystery by being too
openlypartofapoliticalsituation.Hewascaught"betweentheurgetowritelyric
poetry, tomakebeautifulthingsthatarecomforting" andtheparalleldesire to
"wreckthatcomfort"withthepoet'struth.2Butthetruthofartisadifferenttruth.
Nevertheless,thedemandsonhimcannoteasilybepushedaside.Ishetooself
consciousinhisuneaseaboutthepoet'sroleinthecircumstances?Toshutout
politicswouldinitselfbeapoliticalstatement.Towritelyricsatatimeofdeep
sufferingmaygivetheimpressionthatitis notall thatimportant. Helookedat
otherpoets.
Yeatstookastand.In"Easter1916"hedeclaredhimselfinrelationtoanevent
andaperiod.Danteplacedhimselfwithinhistory,andaddressedpublicevents
inaforcefulway.Theevidenceshowedthatapoetcouldspeakconfidentlyout
of a particular history and a particular set of circumstances. His personal
dilemmasmaybefocused wherehistoryandtheindividuallifeintersect.Field
Work brings the autobiographical selfinto immediate contact with particular
individualswhoselives havebeenbrutallyand wastefullyendedinasituation
withwhichHeaneyhasalwaysidentified.Thecontactisonthelevelofkinship,
shared experience and an intimate relationship with the common landscape.
Tendernessandimmediacy,plainnessoflanguageandfeelingcharacterisethese
portraitsofindividualsfatallycaughtintherealitiesofhistory,inHeaney'stime
andplace.
Literature itself is a form of betrayal. At a remove from experience it
substitutesfictionsforexperienceandexposeswhatmightprefertobehidden.
Itcancommentonpoliticswithoutbecomingdirectlyinvolved.AgainYeatsis
anexample.Beingsoawareofthecausesandconsequencesofviolenceinthe
North, Heaneycouldeasilyfeel guiltyofevasion. InStation Island(1984) we
2. TheNewYorkTimesMagazine, 13March1983.
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MAURICE HARMON 13
hear the doubting self. The dead accuse: "You confused evasion with artistic
tact."Heaneypleads:"forgivemytimidcircumstantialinvolvement"andjudges
"Ihateeverythingffhatmademebiddableandunforthcoming."Atthesametime
hemustbefree, musthavehisownimaginativespace,tofillashewill withthe
"trialpieces" ofhis art. Thatis theabsolution heseeks.
StationIslandreexaminesforces, people,incidents,memories.Inoneframe
after another it delineates moments of significant experience. Its series of
encounterscreatesacomplex,changinganddevelopingdramaofidentification,
involvementand assessment. "Youhavetotry tomakesenseofwhatcomes."
You have to "remember everything and keep your head." Some are tender
revisitings,someevokeknownplacesorrememberedobjects;theseare"refresh
ing."Feelingandloveareessentialtothepoet-pilgrim'sexaminationofthings
pastandpresent:notflintypurpose,butcompassion,sympathyandunderstand
ing,virtuesappropriatetoapilgrimage,andtoapoem.Nolongerassertivethe
"I"figurereviews,acknowledges,confesses.Confessionisnotjustaboutguilt,
orthe burdens ofpoeticresponsibility.
The accusing voices are deeply challenging. The murdered cousin, for
example, subjectoftheLoughBegelegy,brings forward theconflictbetween
sufferingandlyricpoetry.Theelegyconcludeswithasoothingceremony:"Idab
youclean,""Iliftyouunderthearmsandlayyouflat,""Iplait/Greenscapulars
towearoveryourshroud."Thetoneisdirectandintimate.WhenHeaneywrote
in pity, he did not express anger at the murder, nordid he voice the rage ofa
peoplesufferingsuchoutrage.Carletoncouldwieldtheknifeofsectarianhatred,
butHeaneywillnotwieldthe"unforgivingiron."Theagitatedvoiceofthenext
victimrelivesloveandterror,thehorrorofsectarianviolence,hisdoomedwalk
tofacehisbare-facedkillers.Thisdeathisnotveiledinlyricsong.Thevoiceis
ferocious.Itconfrontsthepoet's"circumspectinvolvement."Thevictimsimply
doesnotunderstandthepoet'schoiceandthatmakesthechoicehardertojustify.
Heaneyresponds: "ForgivethewayIhavelivedindifferent."Facedwiththe
death of the archaeologist he admits another failure-the failure to comfort.
Ironically,thepoetwhocanprovidesolaceinpoetrycannotbringcomforttohis
dyingfriend: hefelt"guiltyandempty";hehad"failedanobligation";isstruck
dumb. He was struckdumb also atthe news ofhiscousin's death; his feelings
driedup. Butthecousindismisses suchexplanation, accuseshimofconfusing
evasionwithartistictact,ofwhitewashingugliness,ofmakingdeathsweetwith
thesaccharineofhispoetry,andthisalsohurts.FacedwiththefigureofaMaze
hunger-striker, Heaney repents a life that kept him "competentffo sleepwalk
withconnivanceandmistrust."Heyieldstofeelings ofdisgustinconfessional
self-abasement.
IhatehowquickIwastoknowmyplace.
IhatewhereIwasborn,hateeverything
Thatmademebiddableandunforthcoming.
Butsuch vehemencegoesagainstthegrainofwhatheis.While'hedramatises
his hatred ofall that made him what he is, he also accepts the way he is. The
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accusationsendhere;recoverycomesintheabyssofguiltandself-blame.Hehas
gained insight, sees, understands and is absolved. He discovers, or has con
firmed, "theneedandchance/tosalvageeverything, tore-envisage."
Imouthedatmyhalf-composedface
Intheshavingmirror,likesomebody
Drunkinthebathroomduringaparty,
Lulledandrepelledbyhisownreflection.
Asifthecairnstonecoulddenythecairn.
Asiftheeddycouldreformthepool.
Asifastonewhirledunderacascade,
Erodedanderodinginitsbed,
Couldgrinditselfdowntoadifferentcore.
ThenIthoughtofthetribewhosedancesneverfail
Fortheykeepdancingtilltheysightthedeer.
"As if," "As if," "As if'-there is no point to this sourfacedmood. "There is
nothingtoconfess."
The poem ends in images of the dazzling cup, 5t. John of the Cross's
absolvingandconfirmingpoemaboutloveandbeauty,theeternalfountain,full
oflight, unending, refreshing the world. "No otherthing can beso beautiful."
Joyce's admonitions confirm the importance of art and the poet's right to
freedom.
Isthepilgrim-poetdeeplyriven?Eventospeakofencounters,confrontations,
orpurgationistousealanguagethatseemstoodramaticformostofwhattakes
place. Heaney likes to make poems "which are full ofblessings and delights,
whicharecelebrations,whichinthemselvesaretransformed,freethings,which
affirmthattheironeandonlyfunctionistobeworkswhichgivedelight."But,
atthesametime,hewassuspiciousofgivingpleasure.StationIsland,hehoped,
wouldredeemhisrighttowritepleasurably.3
Bothartandlifebearupontheformationofthepoet.InStationIslandHeaney
revealshisallegiancetoboth.Thevoicesofthedeadaccusehimofconnivance
andevasion.Othervoicesurgehimtosteerclearofpolitics,torememberhisduty
asapoet.ThepoemshowsthatHeaneydoesnotindulgecomplacentlyinlyric
utterancewhilefriends dieandapeoplesuffer. Hisisa"voicethatmightcon
tinue,hold,dispel,appease."Hecanclearhisconsciencethroughthepilgrimage,
by showing himselftorn, challenged, and responsive to suffering. He has the
feelingandlovethatHopkinsidentifiedasthetruesourceofpoetry.Throughthe
pilgrimage,initsenactmentsofchallengeandresponse,hepurgeshisguilt.He
can face the accusations, can mime the suffering, can present himself as
sympatheticallyinvolved,can,inshort,facethechallengesandtherebyearnthe
righttobefree.Heisbothresponsiveandresponsible.Hefeelstheneedtojustify
whathedoes,inparticularthewritingoffree,lyricpoetry,atatimeandinaplace
wherepeoplesufferandarenotfree.Hedemonstratesthathedoesnotrunaway
fromreality.Thatjustifiesthepoem'sconclusion.Poetrywashesawaytheguilt
3. IrishTribune,30Sept.1984.
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