Station Island (poetry)
Encyclopedia
Station Island is a collection of poems written by Irish
Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney
.
The title refers to Station Island in Donegal
, Ireland
, a famous site of pilgrimage
from the Middle Ages to the present day. The collection is thematically concerned with the quest for self-identity, whether spiritual, socio-political, or vocational.
The second section, also entitled 'Station Island', is an autobiographical account of Heaney's second journey to the island. Here he considers the purpose and power of a poet's occupation, especially in regards to how he or she might speak to political issues- in his case, The Troubles
in Northern Ireland
in particular.
The third section, 'Sweeney Redivivus', was stimulated by Heaney's work on the medieval Irish poem Buile Shuibhne
('The Madness of Sweeney'), a translation of which he published under the title Sweeney Astray
in 1983.
Heaney has been recorded reading this collection on the Seamus Heaney Collected Poems album. He also read from this book during his Saturday morning readings at the Royal Academy during Peter Edward's exhibition.
Part Two: Station Island
Part Three: Sweeney Redivivus
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney
Seamus Heaney
Seamus Heaney is an Irish poet, writer and lecturer. He lives in Dublin. Heaney has received the Nobel Prize in Literature , the Golden Wreath of Poetry , T. S. Eliot Prize and two Whitbread prizes...
.
The title refers to Station Island in Donegal
Donegal
Donegal or Donegal Town is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. Its name, which was historically written in English as Dunnagall or Dunagall, translates from Irish as "stronghold of the foreigners" ....
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, a famous site of pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
from the Middle Ages to the present day. The collection is thematically concerned with the quest for self-identity, whether spiritual, socio-political, or vocational.
The second section, also entitled 'Station Island', is an autobiographical account of Heaney's second journey to the island. Here he considers the purpose and power of a poet's occupation, especially in regards to how he or she might speak to political issues- in his case, The Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
in particular.
The third section, 'Sweeney Redivivus', was stimulated by Heaney's work on the medieval Irish poem Buile Shuibhne
Buile Shuibhne
Buile Suibhne is the tale of Suibhne , a legendary king of Dál nAraidi in Ulster in Ireland...
('The Madness of Sweeney'), a translation of which he published under the title Sweeney Astray
Sweeney Astray
Sweeney Astray: A Version from the Irish is a version of the Irish poem Buile Shuibhne written by Seamus Heaney and published in 1983. It is based on an earlier translation by J.G. O'Keeffe...
in 1983.
Heaney has been recorded reading this collection on the Seamus Heaney Collected Poems album. He also read from this book during his Saturday morning readings at the Royal Academy during Peter Edward's exhibition.
Contents
Part One- The Underground
- La Toilette
- Sloe Gin
- Away from it All
- Chekhov on Sakhalin
- Sandstone Keepsake
- Shelf Life
- A Migration
- Last Look
- Remembering Malibu
- Making Strange
- The Birthplace
- Changes
- An Ulster Twilight
- A Bat on the Road
- A Hazel Stick for Catherine Ann
- A Kite for Michael and Christopher
- The Railway Children
- Sweetpea
- An Aisling in the Burren
- Widgeon
- Sheelagh na Gig
- The Loaning
- The Sandpit
- The King of the Ditchbacks
Part Two: Station Island
- Station Island
Part Three: Sweeney Redivivus
- The First Gloss
- Sweeney Redivivus
- Unwinding
- In the Beech
- The First Kingdom
- The First Flight
- Drifting Off
- Alerted
- The Cleric
- The Hermit
- The Master
- The Scribes
- A Waking Dream
- In the Chestnut Tree
- Sweeney's Returns
- Holly
- An Artist
- The Old Icons
- In Illo Tempore
- On the Road