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Saturday, March 25, 2006

Reduced Heaney
















We've all heard of the Reduced Shakespeare Company, but reading the new Seamus Heaney book, District and Circle, it struck me it might be time for a Reduced Heaney equivalent. True to its Tube-themed title, not a few poems in District and Circle make for slow commutes with a few too many stops along the way for comfort. Here are my Reduced Heaney versions:

A Shiver
Hammers: aren't they just great for hitting things very hard? They most certainly are.

To Pablo Neruda in Tamlaghtduff
I may name-check Pablo Neruda but I'm still the same country boy I've always been. Neruda/still the same country boy. Neruda/still the same country boy.

The Tollund Man in Springtime
That body in the bog in Denmark is still there. Scary! But reassuring too.

A Clip
As well as farmers, thatchers and blacksmiths when I was young there were also barbers. Bless that barber.

Out of this World
Good old Czeslaw, he loved all that mystical Catholic stuff. I love it too. Even if it's not actually true.

District and Circle
I take the tube. But I'm still a country lad at heart.

Reduced Reduced Heaney: wait for the paperback.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Excellent. Very funny.