Blackberry Picking

Seamus Heaney wrote an interesting poem,

“Blackberry Picking
Late August, given heavy rain and sun

for a full weak, 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 Blubeard’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.”

                                    -Seamus Heaney
     Through this poem, Heaney seems to be remembering fond memories of blackberry picking with either family or friends but throughout the poem the tone changes a little bit. The poem starts and it seems happy and almost innocent fun. The line the says, " you ate that first one and its flesh was sweet," is full of enthusiasm, almost of that of a child. This was obviously a fond memory that he had with family and friends. Also, in the line that says, "we hoarded the fresh berries in the byre," the children in the poem, whether it be Heaney himself or some of his friends that he is talking about, they are excited about being able to pick all of the berries and they want the berries to keep.
     In the line that says “but when the bath was full”, we see a change of tone. It changes to almost a more experienced tone and almost sad, and regretful. I also know, from looking at other poems throughout his book, that he seems very interested in the theme of innocence to experience. At a time in everyone’s life, they change from being innocent to being experienced in any number of things. This poem just happens to be about blackberry picking. He seems enthusiastic but then towards the end finds out and knows that the blackberries will go bad at some point, even if he does not want to believe it.
   This poem also leads me to believe that Heaney is talking about more than just blackberry picking. And this change in tone helps me to believe that. He could also be talking about the fact that not everything lasts. Good things could, in fact, come to an end. Whether it be like the berries rotting, or something even worse, death of a loved one or something of that nature, these things do come to an end. The last line in the poem, "Each year I hoped they'd keep, knew they would not," may be talking about this. This one small thing, blackberry picking, comes to an end at the end of the week. The children learn that not everything can last forever and they lose some of that childhood innocence that they had and it turns into experience.