Heaney, Seamus. "North".

Summary

- the speaker talks about his returning to the Atlantic strand, encountering the present non-telling landscape, yet travelling back in his memory to look at the sad history of the "North"

- describes scenes of the violent past reaching back as far as to the Vikings, followed by a series of less specific, but equally violent images of occupations of the land

- conclusion: announces he will penetrate the whole of the dark history of the land, never to forget, but to search his memory to recall and to relate

Analysis

- free verse, unrhymed, yet melodic

- relates the present and the past: relates the present landscape he observes with the past events which took place here; also draws a parallel between the past and the present occupiers of the land

- expresses his profound sadness about the condition of the land x but: adopts an active and defensive attitude