Storm on the Island
Storm on the Island Lyrics
Sink walls in rock and roof them with good slate.
This wizened earth has never troubled us
With hay, so, as you see, there are no stacks
Or stooks that can be lost. Nor are there trees
Which might prove company when it blows full
Blast: you know what I mean - leaves and branches
Can raise a tragic chorus in a gale
So that you listen to the thing you fear
Forgetting that it pummels your house too.
But there are no trees, no natural shelter.
You might think that the sea is company,
Exploding comfortably down on the cliffs
But no: when it begins, the flung spray hits
The very windows, spits like a tame cat
Turned savage. We just sit tight while wind dives
And strafes invisibly. Space is a salvo,
We are bombarded with the empty air.
Strange, it is a huge nothing that we fear.
Über uns
The poem was first published in the collection Death of a Naturalist in 1966.
The title Storm on the Island is blunt and explicit. Despite the lack of a named location, the ‘Storm’ in the title is code for Stormont, the Northern Island seat of Government. (Note the first eight letters of the title spell ‘Stormont’). Moreover, Island is a homophone of Ireland which further conveys the poem is about Ireland. Therefore this is a poem about a metaphorical storm, that of the Northern Ireland Troubles, which were in embryo at the time but developing. Heaney rarely wrote directly about the conflict, and this poem’s obliqueness is characteristic.
This doesn’t prevent the poem from being read literally. It still works as a description of fierce weather. Or a description of any conflict in any place. Although the poet refers to ‘we’ throughout, there is a subtle hint of loneliness; of man pitted against the elements, and man pitted against political strife.
Structure
The poem has been published as a single nineteen-line stanza, but also in some versions as three stanzas of five lines each and one stanza of four lines. There is no formal rhyme scheme. This creates a sense of drama and also reinforces the idea that storms happen regularly.
There is a progression from security and confidence at the beginning to fear and uncertainty at the end.
Language and Imagery
The poem is written in free verse and in the present tense, which gives it a sense of immediacy. The narrative is in the form of an address to the reader, but with close companions nearby.
The lines are iambic pentameter, that is formed of five iambs or metric feet per line. This usually produces a dignified, stately rhythm, suitable for the subject. Concise, spare imagery, colloquialisms alternating with lyricism, produce changes in mood to match the subject. There is no formal structured rhyme scheme, but a rhythmic effect is created by the frequent use of internal rhyme, consonance and assonance. The unstructured composition reflects the emotions of the speaker as his thoughts develop.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning