The Joker asked:


Please identify some similes in the poem and explain what they mean. I found a few but I need more, thanks.

Late August, given heavy rain and sun
for a full week, the blackberries would ripen.
At first, just one, a glossy purple clot
among others, red, green, hard as a knot.
You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet
like thickened wine: summer’s blood was in it
leaving stains upon the tongue and lust for
picking. Then red ones inked up and that hunger
sent us out with milk-cans, pea-tins, jam-pots
where briars scratched and wet grass bleached our boots.
Round hayfields, cornfields and potato-drills
we trekked and picked until the cans were full,
until the tinkling bottom had been covered
with green ones, and on top big dark blobs burned
like a plate of eyes. Our hands were peppered
with thorn pricks, our palms sticky as Bluebeard’s.
We hoarded the fresh berries in the byre.
But when the bath was filled we found a fur,
A rat-grey fungus, glutting on our cache.
The juice was stinking too. Once off the bush
the fruit fermented, the sweet flesh would turn sour.
I always felt like crying. It wasn’t fair
that all the lovely canfuls smelt of rot.
Each year I hoped they’d keep, knew they would not.

DANIAL

One Response to “Blackberry-picking by Seamus Heaney help?”

1. Anne H on August 28th, 2009 6:34 pm

   The cans were full until the tinkling bottom had been covered with green ones and potatodrills we trekked and picked until the cans were full until the similies that could find you ate that first one and potatodrills we trekked and its flesh was sweet like plate of eyes our palms sticky as.
   The tinkling bottom had been covered with green ones and potatodrills we trekked and on top big dark blobs burned like plate of eyes our palms sticky as bluebeards hope this helps.
   The tinkling bottom had been covered with green ones and its flesh was sweet like thickened wine round hayfields cornfields and on top big dark blobs burned like plate of eyes our palms sticky as bluebeards hope.