The Haw Lantern (1987) is a collection of poems written by Irish poet Seamus Heaney, the recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1995. Several of the poems—including the sonnet cycle "Clearances"—explore themes of mortality and loss inspired by the death of his mother, Margaret Kathleen Heaney (the "M.K.H." referenced in the dedication to "Clearances"), who died in 1984 and of his father two years later.
The title of the collection refers to the haw fruit. The fruit is an important symbol of defiance against winter, a symbol of, the dignity of the Northern Irish in the face of violence and trouble, and offering a small piece of light and hope in the darkness. The image of the lantern evoked by the title is a reference to the traditional account of the Greek cynic philosopher Diogenes of Sinope. According to the story, Diogenes carried a lantern through the streets in search of an honest man in the light.
Contents
Alphabets
Terminus
From the Frontier of Writing
The Haw Lantern
The Stone Grinder
A Daylight Art
Parable Island
From the Republic of Conscience
Hailstones
Two Quick Notes
The Stone Verdict
From the Land of the Unspoken
A Ship of Death
The Spoonbait
In Memoriam: Robert Fitzgerald
The Old Team
Clearances: In Memoriam M.K.H.
Clearances 1
Clearances 2
Clearances 3
Clearances 4
Clearances 5
Clearances 6
Clearances 7
Clearances 8
The Milk Factory
The Summer of Lost Rachel
The Wishing Tree
A Postcard from Iceland
A Peacock's Feather
Grotus and Coventina
Holding Course
The Song of the Bullets
Wolfe Tone
A Shooting Script
From the Canton of Expectation
The Mud Vision
The Disappearing Island
The Riddle