I think one way in which we can see a merging of Yeats’s mysticism and Heaney’s interest in nature as an organic form of poetry is through Celtic tree lore. Although mysticism thickly coats Yeats’s poetry, Heaney’s poetry seems more aligned with magical realism; nevertheless, the symbolic meaning behind the types of trees mentioned in poems such as “The Diviner”, “Thatcher”, “Ministry of Fear”, and “The Strand at Lough Beg” illuminates the subconscious influence of Yeats in Heaney’s naturalistic themes. I wanted to investigate how much of Heaney’s word choice was aesthetic, and how much was symbolic. Words like “yew”, “willow”, “hazel” and “sycamore” have their own natural rhythm and lyrical sound, but according to tree lore, all have their own distinctive implications. While researching, I was struck by the page on hazel trees specifically, for the article begins with a quote from Yeats. He says, “I went out to the hazelwood / because there was a fire in my head” (http://www.druidry.org/library/trees/tree-lore-hazel). It appears that tree lore, and hazel specifically, was such an integral part of Yeats’s personal symbolism, that he almost seems to have claimed ownership of the word.
In the line “The lowland clays and waters of Lough Beg, / Church Island’s spire, it’s soft treeline of yew”, did Heaney use the word “yew” instead of “birch” or “elder” because of the particularly lyrical affect of the word “yew”, or was there precise intent behind that particular choice of tree?
The multivalent meaning of each tree is complex and quite Yeatsian, but did Heaney painstakingly utilize this mystical vocabulary in a conscious effort to imbue his poetry with Celtic meaning, or is this another example of his inability to escape Yeats’s shadow?
I know that yew trees are highly poisonous, and are often associated with death and found in churchyards and cemeteries. If this was done consciously or not, it is interesting to note that Yeats references the hazel (the wood of poets and wisdom) while Heaney references the yew, the wood of death. If Heaney is referencing Yeats, this can be seen as a statement that despite the myriad ways in which Heaney sees himself inheriting Yeats’ place, he is preoccupied with much darker themes. Professor Doggett taught us that in Heaney’s time Yeats was remembered mainly for his early (celtic, dreamy) poems; Heaney, in contrast, grapples directly with violence and death, the other side of the coin to Yeats’ idealistic nationalism.
I like the idea of Heaney offering a magical realism counterpoint to Yeats’s mysticism – always I was thinking of Heaney as a more strictly realistic approach, concerned with the most physically real aspects of nature, but given your post I do like the magical realist title significantly more. Additionally, I never would have considered Heaney to be referencing the associations with the trees that he would pick for his poetry, more the aesthetics, but your post invites interesting complexities that I wouldn’t have otherwise picked up on. Cool idea!