Whether it is his earlier work, such as The Lake Isle of Innisfree , depicting the human need to connect with nature, or his later work, Sailing to Byzantium exploring the cycles of birth and rebirth of the human spirit, Yeats poetry is a joy to read. Seamus Heaney was chosen, the Swedish Academy wrote, for works of lyrical beauty and ethical depth, which exalt everyday miracles and the living past. Not surprisingly, his poetic genius is often compared to Yeats. Heaney too loves his country, it s history and folklore, its people, and the land. His poetry does not allow the reader to just sit and read words on a page - his poetry is alive.
Casualty presents the horror of the strife in Northern Ireland, eloquently and bravely.
Digging , one of his early works, bridges the young man s livelihood as a poet to his father s and grandfather s livelihoods - digging for potatoes. I have spotlighted only two of my favorite Irish poets and written my take on a few of my favorite poems. Following are links to these poets and others. Kick your shoes off, grab a cup of tea and lose yourself in the wonderful world of poetry. In a way, poetry is one of the first interactive mediums - the reader brings his or her interpretation to those carefully and beautifully crafted words.