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Digging. By Seamus Heaney. Between my finger and my thumb. The squat pen rests; snug as a gun. Under my window, a clean rasping sound. When the spade sinks into gravelly ground: My father, digging. I look down. Till his straining rump among the flowerbeds.
"Digging" is one of the most widely known poems by the Irish poet Seamus Heaney and serves as the opening poem of Heaney's debut 1966 poetry collection, Death of a Naturalist. It begins with the speaker hovering over a blank page with a pen, preparing to write.
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- Summary
- Analysis of Digging
- Historical Significance
This poem is autobiographical in nature. The speaker, presumably Heaney, is sitting at his writing desk, preparing to write, when he hears his father working in the garden outside. This conjures memories of the speaker as a young boy, listening and watching as his father digs in the potato garden. The speaker marvels at how well his father digs, wh...
The poem is comprised of eight stanzas of varying lengths. There is no set rhyme scheme, though some of the lines do rhyme.
While this poem certainly is not political in nature, it does give a glimpse into the lives of hardworking Irishmen. In previous generations, men had to dig for both food and fuel. Because Ireland does not have a wealth of coal, men often had to dig through the bogs to acquire enough peat moss that could be burned as an alternative means of fuel.
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- Poetry Analyst
- “Digging“ – This poem is often considered one of Heaney’s signature works. It explores his relationship with his family’s farming tradition and his identity as a poet.
- “Mid-Term Break“ – A poignant and emotionally charged poem that reflects on the death of Heaney’s younger brother and the grieving process. Number 3 on the top 100 Irish poems list.
- “Blackberry-Picking“ – This poem beautifully captures the fleeting nature of childhood innocence and desire through the metaphor of picking blackberries.
- “The Forge” – “The Forge” delves into the themes of craftsmanship and transformation, drawing parallels between the blacksmith’s work and the poet’s artistry.
“Digging” is a poem by the Irish poet Seamus Heaney. The poem centers a speaker who has chosen to pursue poetry as his vocation . Whereas his father and grandfather both made their living through agricultural labor, the speaker will metaphorically use his pen to “dig” through layers of history, memory, and meaning.
Digging. Seamus Heaney. Track 1 on Death Of A Naturalist. A poem from Seamus Heaney’s 1966 collection Death Of A Naturalist, inspired by his Irish homeland’s potato farmers and his...
Between my finger and my thumb The squat pen rests; as snug as a gun. Under my window a clean rasping sound When the spade sinks into gravelly ground: My father, digging. I look down. Till his straining rump among the flowerbeds Bends low, comes up twenty years away Stooping in rhythm through potato drills Where he was digging.
