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Meaning
The quote suggests that in lyric poetry, truth is not judged only by facts or direct statements. Instead, readers recognize truth through the poem’s own language and form, which can create a convincing sense of authenticity.
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Original Language & Translation
Originally said in English.
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About Seamus Heaney
Irish poet, playwright and translator
Seamus Heaney was an Irish poet, playwright, and translator. He won the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature and is closely associated with modern Irish poetry. He died in 2013. Heaney’s first major published collection was Death of a Naturalist, released in 1966. His work and reputation drew strong praise from other writers and critics, who often described him as a major Irish voice and a poet of unusual range and narrative skill.
More from Seamus Heaney (120 quotes) →Other sayings from Seamus Heaney
- “Sonnet is about movement in a form.”Seamus Heaney
- “Believe that a further shore is reachable from here.”Seamus Heaney
- “Anybody serious about poetry knows how hard it is to achieve anything worthwhile in it.”Seamus Heaney
- “Whether it be a matter of personal relations within a marriage or political initiatives within a peace proces…”Seamus Heaney
Explore Poetry
- “I Am VerticalBut I would rather be horizontal.I am not a tree with my root in the soilSucking up minerals and…”Sylvia Plath
- “Once a poet calls his myth a myth, he prevents the reader from treating it as a reality; we use the word 'myt…”Adam Kirsch
- “REQUIEMUnder the wide and starry skyDig the grave and let me lie:Glad did I live and gladly die,And I laid me…”Robert Louis Stevenson
Explore Truth
- “If I wanted, I could come up with reasons to be angry with everyone I know; there are sins of commission or o…”Russ Ramsey
- “Memory's truth, because memory has its own special kind. It selects, eliminates, alters, exaggerates, minimiz…”Salman Rushdie
- “Let's be honest, dental care in America is extremely expensive, period.”Bernie Sanders
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Books by Seamus Heaney
Beowulf
2000
The Spirit Level
1996
Death of a naturalist
1966
Opened Ground
1998
District and circle
2006