Twice Shy

"Twice Shy" by Seamus Heaney

Her scarf a la Bardot,
In suede flats for the walk,
She came with me one evening
For air and friendly talk.
⁵ We crossed the quiet river,
Took the embankment walk.

Traffic holding its breath,
Sky a tense diaphragm:
Dusk hung like a backcloth
¹⁰ That shook where a swan swam,
Tremulous as a hawk
Hanging deadly, calm.

A vacuum of need
Collapsed each hunting heart
¹⁵ But tremulously we held
As hawk and prey apart,
Preserved classic decorum,
Deployed our talk with art.

Our Juvenilia
²⁰ Had taught us both to wait,
Not to publish feeling
And regret it all too late -
Mushroom loves already
Had puffed and burst in hate.

²⁵ So, chary and excited,
As a thrush linked on a hawk,
We thrilled to the March twilight
With nervous childish talk:
Still waters running deep
³⁰ Along the embankment walk.

Like many of Heaney's poems, "Twice Shy" deals with disillusionment, specifically that of a young couple who have had unsavory romantic experiences in the past. However, the poem puts a distinctly more positive spin on the theme than some of his other works, as it is set after the period of disillusionment, instead of describing the loss of innocence. Rather than being bitter for their experiences, the characters seem more wise and display a hesitant yet hopeful outlook. I enjoyed this poem because of its vivid, specific details, like the mention of her scarf in the beginning, and because it seemed to tell a complex story in a misleadingly small and simple poem.

Literary Devices

1. Allusion: In the title, Heaney alludes to a well known saying, "Once bitten, twice shy", which illuminates the essential message of the poem; the lovers have previously been hurt, which is why both are more cautious and wary this time around.

2. Rhyme: Each stanza of this poem follows a similar rhyme scheme, in which the second, fourth, and final lines rhyme. For instance, in the first stanza, there is "walk" (2), "talk" (4), and "walk" (6). This gives the poem a distinct rhythm.

3. Conceit: Heaney attaches a deeper meaning to the characters' relationship by repeatedly referring to them as "hawk and prey" (16), and describing them as "chary and excited / As thrush linked on a hawk" (25-26) or "tremulous as a hawk" (11). This seems like an unlikely comparison to make to lovers, but like the title, it reinforces the mood of wariness and caution; neither is sure if the other is the hawk, and whether they are meant to be the prey.

4. Metaphor: I thought an interesting metaphor in this poem was established in the fourth stanza, where the speaker states "Our Juvenilia / Had taught us both to wait" (19-20). Looking up the word, I found that "juvenilia" refers to an authors early works. The following "Not to publish feeling / And regret it all too late -" (21-22) re-emphasizes this with the verb "publish". This seemed especially meaningful given Heaney's own experience as a published author, and it made me wonder if, given his lengthy career, he had experienced any regret over his earliest works because they might reflect views he has since outgrown.