Seamus Heaney's Poem - Thatcher
Thatcher
by Seamus Heaney
Bespoke for weeks, he turned up some morning
Unexpectedly, his bicycle slung
With a light ladder and a bag of knives.
He eyed the old rigging, poked at the eaves,
Opened and handled sheaves of lashed wheat-straw.
Next, the bundled rods: hazel and willow
Were flicked for weight, twisted in case they'd snap.
It seemed he spent the morning warming up:
Then fixed the ladder, laid out well honed blades
And snipped at straw and sharpened ends of rods
That, bent in two, made a white-pronged staple
For pinning down his world, handful by handful.
Couchant for days on sods above the rafters,
He shaved and flushed the butts, stitched all together
Into a sloped honeycomb, a stubble patch,
And left them gaping at his Midas touch.

'Men fail much oftener from want of perseverance than from want of talent.' William Cobbett.
Latest Post: Old Irish Country Life Our newest member: SamuelInesy Recent Posts Unread Posts Tags
Forum Icons: Forum contains no unread posts Forum contains unread posts
Topic Icons: Not Replied Replied Active Hot Sticky Unapproved Solved Private Closed
Join Us!
Recent Posts
-
Book about the country lifestyle in Ireland in the past...
By Mike, 4 months ago
-
Bring Your Log Cabin to Life with the Right Lighting Options
Decorating a log cabin presents some unique challenges ...
By A.R. Tisans, 4 months ago
-
Take a Camping Vacation this Year
Take a Camping Vacation This Year Some people choose a ...
By A.R. Tisans, 4 months ago
-
Timelapse of Thatching Process and Progression - Straw Thatching
Timelapse of Rethatching a Straw Roof UK.
By Mike, 4 months ago
-
RE: Bronze Age Roundhouse Project - Hampshire
Here is a video exploring Butser Ancient Farm.
By Mike, 4 months ago
-
Bronze Age Roundhouse Project - Hampshire
A link to an article in the Belfast Telegraph. ...
By Mike, 4 months ago
Recent Polls
-
Created on Dec 14, 2021
Voters: 0
-
-
-
Recent Thatch Topics
-
By Mike, 4 months ago
-
Bring Your Log Cabin to Life with the Right Lighting Options
By A.R. Tisans, 4 months ago
-
Take a Camping Vacation this Year
By A.R. Tisans, 4 months ago
-
Timelapse of Thatching Process and Progression - Straw Thatching
By Mike, 4 months ago
-
Bronze Age Roundhouse Project - Hampshire
By Mike, 4 months ago
Online Now
No online members at the moment
Publications
-
By Mike, 4 months ago
-
By Mike, 4 months ago
-
Creating a Timber Framed House
By Mike, 1 year ago
-
Black Barn Case Study - Traditional Restoration in Scotland
By Mike, 1 year ago
-
Southern Pine - Headers and Beams - Guide
By Mike, 1 year ago
-
Rivers Lochs and Bogs - Scotland
By Mike, 1 year ago