Speaking to the Ryan Tubridy Show on RTÉ Radio 1 this morning, the widow of poet Seamus Heaney revealed that her husband provided inspiration for her new collection of classic 'night poems and lullabys', All Through The Night, which contains work from such diverse sources as Shakespeare and The Beatles.
In a wide-reaching and often moving interview, Marie Heaney spoke of the genesis behind All Through The Night, commissioned and published by Poetry Ireland, and launched at last Friday's Culture Night event in Dublin Castle.
"They (lullabys) were very important to me, because Seamus did say long, long ago, before there was any thought of (him) dying, that he wanted Brahms' lullaby played at his funeral, because as an infant he heard the big boys sing it - and it was his first intimation as a small child of something transcendent, something beautiful. And it was played at his funeral.'
Marie spoke candidly about their 48-year marriage, the events leading up to Seamus' passing in Dublin's Blackrock Clinic in August 2013, his legacy, and the realities of dealing with bereavement.
“I did sort of close down. I was very lucky with the nature of his death- it was an extremely peaceful death. He was on the way to the operating theatre when he simply stopped talking and so the shock, I was utterly numb, as was the whole family for a long time. I had to do many things, it was great in a way that numbness because it meant I could carry on and keep busy and hold myself alright in public. I was on autopilot,” she said.
Seamus Heaney's last words 'Noli timere' – 'Don't be afraid.' Painted this for Good people in Hard times. pic.twitter.com/ZslV5BvpOd
— Maser (@MaserArt) December 4, 2013
She also discussed the moments leading up to the poet's widely reported final words, since immortalized in an instantly iconic piece of Dublin street art.
He was on his way to heart surgery, and he knew I was worried, so he sent me this text: 'Noli timere' – don't be afraid. Typical. And I think that was 15-20 minutes before he died. So he was very lucky, in that way, genuinely. He didn't die too young - he was 74 - but he did die too soon. Someone has said that we are lucky if we die alive - that you're not reduced by ill-health, or age, that you die as yourself. And he certainly did.
Marie also offered a moving rendition of her husband's early poem Scaffolding, these days a popular favourite at marriage ceremonies. You can listen to the remarkable interview in full below:
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All Through The Night (Poetry Ireland) is out now.
