About the poet
Seamus Heaney was an acclaimed Irish poet, playwright, and translator, often regarded as one of the greatest poets of the 20th century. Born in County Derry, Northern Ireland, Heaney’s works frequently explore themes of rural life, identity, history, and the Troubles in Northern Ireland. His rich, evocative language and profound connection to the Irish landscape earned him widespread admiration. He won the Noble Prize in Literature.
‘Punishment’ is included in Heaney’s collection ‘North’. This point talks about the body of an execution victim: a young woman ‘scapegoated’, hanged and drowned for adultery. The poem was inspired by ‘bog bodies’ and his other poems of this collection are also inspired from bog bodies. Bog bodies are naturally preserved human bodies buried in peat bogs. Heaney indicated that this poem was based on personal experience.
Line by Line Analysis
I can feel the tug of the halter at the nape of her neck, the wind on her naked front. It blows her nipples to amber beads, it shakes the frail rigging of her ribs.
In the poem, the body of a woman, executed for adultery in ancient times, is pulled from the bog. The speaker describes her punishment in vivid, graphic detail, from her shaved head to her exposed, naked body. In the opening stanza, the speaker imagines the sensation of the “halter,” a rope or noose pulling at the back of her neck, symbolizing the moment of her execution. The wind blows against her naked body, hardening her nipples into “amber beads,” a chilling image that suggests both the harshness of her punishment and the exposure of her vulnerability. The wind also shakes her thin, frail ribs, emphasizing her fragility and the brutality of her execution. This portrayal creates a stark, visceral image of her suffering and the inescapable fate she faces.
I can see her drowned body in the bog, the weighing stone, the floating rods and boughs. Under which at first she was a barked sapling that is dug up oak-bone, brain-firkin:
The speaker envisions her body weighed down by a heavy stone, with sticks and branches floating above her, symbolizing that her body was deliberately sunk and hidden. He imagines her initial burial, comparing her to a “barked sapling,” a young tree stripped of its bark, which evokes a sense of her youth and vulnerability. Over time, however, her body has transformed into something ancient, with her bones described as “oak bones,” symbolizing the way they have hardened like oak wood after years of being buried in the earth. This imagery underscores both the passage of time and the preservation of her body, highlighting the contrast between her youthful innocence and the brutal, lasting effects of her punishment.
her shaved head like a stubble of black corn, her blindfold a soiled bandage, her noose a ring to store the memories of love. Little adulteress, before they punished you
The speaker now imagines the girl as a prisoner, with her head shaved, which he compares to the stubble of black corn. She is blindfolded, and this is likened to a dirty bandage. Heaney directly addresses her as a “little adulteress,” suggesting that her punishment stems from her perceived betrayal. These descriptions highlight the immense suffering she endures in her final moments, emphasizing the cruelty and dehumanization she faces during her death. Through this imagery, Heaney paints a vivid picture of her torment, underscoring the pain and humiliation inflicted upon her.
you were flaxen-haired, undernourished, and your tar-black face was beautiful. My poor scapegoat, I almost love you but would have cast, I know, the stones of silence. I am the artful voyeur
Before her punishment, the girl appeared fair-haired and malnourished, her face marked by the boy’s tar-like preservation. Despite the tragedy of her fate, the speaker perceives a certain beauty in her and refers to her as a “scapegoat,” suggesting that society sacrificed her while sparing the men involved. He expresses profound empathy for the victim but also confronts his own moral weakness. He acknowledges that he would have stayed silent during her punishment, unable to oppose it openly. Identifying himself as an “artful voyeur,” the speaker admits to being both horrified by her suffering and morbidly fascinated by the preserved details of her body.
of your brains exposed and darkened combs, your muscles’ webbing and all your numbered bones: I who have stood dumb when your betraying sisters, cauled in tar, wept by the railings, who would connive in civilized outrage yet understand the exact and tribal, intimate revenge.
The speaker, who refers to himself as an “artful voyeur,” admits to being captivated by the details of the girl’s body—her exposed brain, dark hair, webbed muscles, and numbered bones. Her death strips her of any dignity, leaving her completely exposed. He then reflects on other women, whom he calls “betraying sisters,” who were also punished and shamed publicly, their bodies covered in tar. These women, like the girl, faced humiliation and violence for similar reasons, crying by the railings in their agony. Despite witnessing such acts, the speaker confesses that he remained silent, revealing his inner conflict. While he outwardly condemns these violent acts as barbaric, he secretly understands the emotions behind them, referring to them as “tribal, intimate revenge.” He draws a parallel to modern times, where women were publicly shamed by the Irish Republican Army for having relationships with British soldiers, actions seen as betrayals of the Irish nationalist cause.