Seamus Heaney – Poetry
Lightenings viii
The annals say: when the monks of Clonmacnoise
Were all at prayers inside the oratory
A ship appeared above them in the air.
The anchor dragged along behind so deep
It hooked itself into the altar rails
And then, as the big hull rocked to a standstill,
A crewman shinned and grappled down the rope
And struggled to release it. But in vain.
‘This man can’t bear our life here and will drown,’
The abbot said, ‘unless we help him.’ So
They did, the freed ship sailed, and the man climbed back
Out of the marvellous as he had known it.
Seamus Heaney – Selected Poems by Seamus Heaney
From “Seeing Things”, 1991
Copyright © Seamus Heaney
Learn more
Nobel Prizes 2019
Fifteen laureates have been awarded this year, for achievements that have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind.
Their work and discoveries range from how cells adapt to changes in levels of oxygen to our ability to fight global poverty.
See them all presented here.
Their work and discoveries range from how cells adapt to changes in levels of oxygen to our ability to fight global poverty.
See them all presented here.
Explore prizes and laureates
Look for popular awards and laureates in different fields, and discover the history of the Nobel Prize.
