The Haw Lantern: Themes & Linking Poems

Themes in “The Haw Lantern”

“The wintry haw is burning out of season”: This bulb of a hawthorn bush metaphorically represents the flame of wisdom and understanding that waits to be discovered. It symbolises the natural flow of knowledge even during periods of bleak and cold uncertainty.
“Glass-tooled and iron-red”: The haw lantern’s carefully crafted structure suggests a delicate balance between beauty and strength, symbolising the need for both sensitivity and strength in seeking truth and understanding.

“Its heathery stems…blue like a peat flame”: Heaney’s description of the hawthorn bush vividly portrays the beauty of nature. The radiance of the flame indicates the ongoing cycle of life, even in the apparent lifelessness of winter.
“Cold-comforted and in a wing-tip flame”: Heaney contrasts the cold yet comforting elements of nature with the fleeting warmth of the lantern flame. This comparison suggests the dual nature of life - the presence of both comfort and discomfort, warmth and cold.

“Is it cast-off brazier”: This question indicates the speaker’s quest for approval and recognition from his father. It reflects an emotional sense of his father’s absence and the continued yearning for his validation.
“And have I not walked at ease”: The speaker’s peaceful walk embodies his acceptance of his father’s passing and a sense of peace with it, demonstrating a personal growth and maturity in their relationship.

In both “The Haw Lantern” and “The Harvest Bow”, Heaney explores the theme of father-son relationship, capturing emotions such as longing, regret, and reconciliation.
Similarly, nature metaphorically plays a significant role in expressing the subtle emotions and the changing dynamic of their relationship.

Heaney’s description of nature in “Blackberry-Picking” mirrors that in “The Haw Lantern”; here too, nature synchronises with human emotion and the passage of life, expressing the transient nature of pleasure and the inevitability of decay.

The search for wisdom and truth in “The Haw Lantern” echoes the exploration of the father-son relationship in “Digging”. Both poems depict a deeply personal exploration of identity, heritage and personal history.
Both poems utilise the motif about the cycle of life, symbolising death, rebirth and the continuation of wisdom from one generation to the next.