Perch on their water perch hung in the clear Bann River
Near the clay bank in alder dapple and waver,

Perch they called ‘grunts’, little flood-slubs, runty and ready,
I saw and I see in the river’s glorified body

That is passable through, but they’re bluntly holding the 
pass,
Under the water-roof, over the bottom, adoze

On the current, against it, all muscle and slur
In the finland of perch, the fenland of alder, on air

That is water, on carpets of Bann stream, on hold
In the everything flows and steady go of the world. 

Added: May 2 2005 | Viewed: 1705 times | Comments (0)

Poet: Seamus Heaney
Poem: The Perch

Poem of the Day on:
Apr 5 2006
There are no comments for this poem. Why not be the first one to post something about it?

Are you looking for more information on this poem? Perhaps you are trying to analyze it? The poem, The Perch, has not yet been commented on. You can click here to be the first to post a comment about it. Of course you can also always discuss poems by Seamus Heaney with others on the Poetry Connection poetry forum!