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A poem about the poet's father and grandfather digging potatoes and turf, and the poet's own choice of a pen as a tool. Read the full text, analysis, and source of this classic poem by the Nobel laureate.
- Eating Poetry by Mark Strand
Ink runs from the corners of my mouth.
- Eating Poetry by Mark Strand
"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.
Here is an analysis of the poem ‘Digging’ by Seamus Heaney. Heaney was an Irish playwright, poet, and academic; he won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995. Heaney’s career was both prolific and successful.
Learn about the poem "Digging" by Seamus Heaney, a debut work that celebrates the poet's rural Irish heritage and his father's and grandfather's manual labor. Explore the themes, symbols, and literary devices of this classic poem with SparkNotes.
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. Bends low, comes up twenty years away.
Digging Lyrics. 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...
Learn about the Irish poet Seamus Heaney's poem "Digging", which explores his choice to pursue poetry as his vocation. Find a summary, analysis, speaker, and quotes from the poem.
