Sound and Sense #4

In The Forge, by Seamus Heaney, the speaker uses imagery and metaphor to describe the mamdane art of a blacksmith with a sense of reverence and wonder. The first eight lines of the poem describe objects and create a sense of place. Poetic descriptions of the sensory sensations associated with being in a forge such as "short-pitched rings" and "unpredictable fantail of sparks" place the reader in area. Then the anvil is described as the center of the room and "Horned as a unicorn, at one end square, Set there immovable: an altar". The metaphorical comparison to a mythical creature may serve to highlight the wonder of the work done with the tool, and the comparison to an altar shows an importance similar to that of religious ceremony. The last six lines of the poem describe the the smith himself, comparing this actions to those of an artist. He "expends himself in shape and music" like an artist or a musician creates a piece.