Blackberry-Picking : Quotations
Blackberry-Picking is a notable literary work by Seamus Heaney. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of Blackberry-Picking.
Quotations
Quotes
“You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet
Like thickened wine:”
Exp: The poet says that the first ripe blackberry tasted wonderfully sweet, just like strong wine. It gave great pleasure and excitement. It made him want to pick more and more.
“We… picked until the cans were full,”
Exp: The poet and his friends kept picking blackberries without stopping until every can was filled. This shows their excitement, greed, and childish joy of collecting the sweet berries.
“A rat-grey fungus, glutting on our cache.
The juice was stinking too.”
Exp: When they stored the berries, they found fungus growing on them. The juice also smelled bad. The poet feels sad because all the sweet berries they worked hard to collect were now ruined.
“I always felt like crying. It wasn’t fair
That all the lovely canfuls smelt of rot.”
Exp: The poet feels disappointed and hurt that the beautiful berries did not last. He feels life is unfair because good and lovely things often spoil or end too soon.