The Underground (Leaving Cert English): Revision Notes
The Underground
Overview of the poem
"The Underground" captures a vivid memory from Heaney's honeymoon in London with his new wife. The poem describes how the young couple rushed through a tunnel in the London Underground system while trying to catch a train to reach a concert on time. This seemingly ordinary moment is transformed through Heaney's use of mythological references, beginning with his comparison of himself to the god Pan in Greek mythology.
The Underground tunnel serves as more than just a physical setting - it becomes a symbolic space that connects to classical ideas of the underworld, traditionally associated with hell or the realm of the dead in ancient myths.
As they hurry through this space, buttons fall from his wife's new white coat, which becomes stained with red markings. Heaney draws parallels between himself and Hansel from the fairy tale, using the fallen buttons as breadcrumbs to trace his path through the underground maze.
The poem concludes with the speaker finding himself alone in an empty, dimly lit station, straining to hear his wife's footsteps. The final line "damned if I look back" connects to the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, where Orpheus loses his beloved forever when he breaks the rule not to look back while leading her from the underworld.
Stanza-by-stanza analysis
Stanza one
The opening stanza immediately places us in the scene with "There we were in the vaulted tunnel running." Heaney positions his wife ahead of him as she moves quickly in her "going-away coat", while he follows behind, describing himself as being "like a fleet god gaining / Upon you before you turned to a reed."
This first stanza establishes the physical chase while introducing the first mythological reference. The comparison to a "fleet god" and the mention of his wife turning "to a reed" alludes to the Greek myth of Pan and Syrinx. In this story, Pan pursued the nymph Syrinx with unwanted romantic advances, and to escape him, the other gods transformed her into a reed. This mythological framework adds layers of meaning to what might otherwise be a simple memory of rushing to catch a train.
The sexual undertones are present from the beginning, as the reference to Pan - known for his sexual pursuits - creates an atmosphere of desire and chase that goes beyond the literal hurrying through the tunnel.
Stanza two
The second stanza introduces the striking image of "some new white flower japped with crimson / As the coat flapped wide and button after button" fell to the ground. This flower imagery transforms the wife's white coat into something pure and new, with the crimson staining suggesting deeper symbolic meaning.
The white colour of the coat represents purity and newness - appropriate for a honeymoon - while the red "crimson" markings could allude to passion, sexuality, or the loss of innocence. This colour symbolism reinforces the sexual themes introduced through the Pan mythology in the first stanza.
The falling buttons create a practical problem (the coat coming undone) while also establishing a trail that becomes significant later in the poem. Heaney watches this happen from his position behind her, observing how the movement and rush cause these small but important details to scatter "Between the Underground and the Albert Hall."
Stanza three
The third stanza reveals the context: "Honeymooning, moonlighting, late from the Proms." The wordplay on "moonlighting" adds to the romantic atmosphere while "late from the Proms" explains their hurried movement - they're trying to reach the famous classical music concerts at the Albert Hall.
The scene shifts as "their echoes die" in the corridor, suggesting they've moved beyond the main tunnel area. Now the speaker must "retrace the path back, lifting the buttons" like Hansel following breadcrumbs through the forest. This fairy tale reference adds another layer to the mythological framework Heaney has created.
The tone becomes more solitary and desperate here as the chase transforms from an exciting pursuit into a more anxious search. The speaker is no longer running alongside his wife but is alone, trying to find his way back to her using the trail of fallen buttons as his only guide.
Stanza four
The final stanza brings the poem to a haunting conclusion as the speaker finds himself "in a draughty lamplit station" completely alone. The atmosphere is desolate - there are no bright lights, the trains have departed, but tension still fills the air, described as coming from "the wet track."
The speaker listens intently "for your step following," so vividly imagining his wife's presence that he almost expects to hear her footsteps. The final line delivers the poem's most powerful mythological reference: "damned if I look back."
This directly invokes the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, where Orpheus travels to the underworld to rescue his beloved wife. The gods allow him to lead her back to the living world on one condition - he must not look back at her until they reach the surface. In the original myth, Orpheus breaks this rule and loses Eurydice forever. Heaney's speaker, having learned from this mythological precedent, is determined not to make the same mistake.
Major themes in The Underground
Love, pursuit, and marital intimacy
"The Underground" functions as a deeply personal love poem that celebrates the excitement and energy of Heaney's early marriage. The poem captures a playful and intimate memory of the couple rushing through London's underground transport system after attending a cultural event together.
Heaney presents himself as actively pursuing his wife, drawing on the mythological figure of Eurydice, whom Orpheus loses when he looks back during their escape from the underworld. This pursuit operates on both literal and symbolic levels - literally, he's running to catch the train, but symbolically, he's chasing after love, memory, and the inspiration his wife provides.
The pursuit theme captures the energy and excitement that characterises their early relationship, combining romantic adventure with a sense of mythic quest. As Heaney writes, "I come as Orpheus to Eurydice," the speaker positions himself as a poet pursuing his beloved, adding depth and gravitas to what might otherwise be considered an ordinary moment.
Art, myth, and creativity
Heaney skillfully weaves the Orpheus and Eurydice myth throughout the poem, combining it with contemporary urban London to create something entirely new. The poem demonstrates how artists can take ancient mythological stories and reimagine them within modern contexts.
The poem explores the role of the poet as someone who seeks to capture and preserve moments that might otherwise be lost to time - much like how Orpheus uses his musical talents to try to retrieve what he has lost.
The movement through the Underground becomes a metaphor for the creative process of descending into memory or imagination to retrieve experiences and transform them into art.
Through this mythological framework, Heaney highlights how ancient stories continue to resonate with contemporary experiences. The poem shows the interplay between myth and everyday life, demonstrating how art allows ordinary moments - like rushing through a subway tunnel - to be transformed into something epic and timeless.
Key poetic techniques
Mythological allusion
Heaney employs direct allusions to classical mythology, particularly the Orpheus and Eurydice story, to elevate a personal memory into a broader mythic framework. By referencing Orpheus, Heaney positions himself as a poet in pursuit of something precious - whether that's love, memory, or artistic inspiration.
This mythological framework transforms the chase through the Underground into a heroic or tragic pursuit, connecting personal experience with universal human stories. The allusion adds emotional weight and cultural depth to what might otherwise be a simple anecdote about missing a train.
Literary Technique Example: Mythological Allusion
"I come as Orpheus to Eurydice" - This direct comparison frames the entire chase through the Underground as a heroic pursuit, linking the speaker's personal experience with one of literature's most famous tragic love stories.
Imagery
The poem creates vivid visual and kinetic imagery, particularly in its depiction of movement through the Underground tunnels. Heaney describes physical details like "clicking heels," "white-gloved hand," and "vaulted tunnel," building a complete sensory picture of both the setting and the figure he's pursuing (his wife).
These concrete images blend the mundane aspects of urban transportation with more enchanting, dreamlike qualities. The result is a poem that feels both grounded in real experience and elevated into something magical or mythical.
Literary Technique Example: Transformative Imagery
"Running / Behind you into the underworld, / Lost in the leafy paths of the stations" - The urban landscape transforms into a mythic, wooded underworld through Heaney's descriptive language.
Enjambment
Heaney's use of enjambment creates a sense of speed and breathlessness that mirrors the physical experience of running and reflects the urgency of the speaker's pursuit. Thoughts and sensations flow rapidly from one line to the next, creating momentum that echoes the chase through the tunnels.
This technique also mirrors the speaker's emotional state, where thoughts and feelings flow together rapidly as he moves through this charged moment. The enjambment maintains the energy and excitement of the chase while also creating the mythic atmosphere that characterises the poem.
Literary Technique Example: Enjambment for Movement
Lines flow together such as "I come as Orpheus to Eurydice, / Persephone herself" - This maintains momentum while echoing both the physical chase and the mythic journey the poem describes.
Tone
The poem maintains a tone that is both playful and serious, blending the excitement of the moment with the deeper implications of mythology and memory. There's clear joy and energy in the chase, but there's also an undercurrent of melancholy, as the allusion to Orpheus suggests the fragility of memory and love.
The playful energy is evident in the physical chase and the excitement of the moment, while the reflective tone emerges when Heaney connects the experience to myth and memory. This combination gives the poem both immediate appeal and lasting emotional resonance.
Symbolism
The Underground itself becomes a powerful symbol representing the underworld, memory, and the subconscious mind. Descending into the subway represents entering the depths of memory or personal history, similar to the symbolic descent into the underworld found in classical literature.
His wife's "white-gloved hand" and "polished shoes" symbolise both the allure and elusiveness of the beloved or muse - she appears pure and elegant but remains just out of reach. These details emphasise both her attractiveness and the distance that separates them during this pursuit.
The Underground setting connects the everyday experience of urban transportation with the profound symbolic meaning of journeys into hidden or forbidden realms, making the ordinary extraordinary through symbolic resonance.
Key Points to Remember:
- "The Underground" transforms an ordinary honeymoon memory into a mythic journey through Heaney's use of classical allusions, particularly the Orpheus and Eurydice myth
- The poem explores themes of love, pursuit, and artistic creativity, showing how personal experiences can be elevated through mythological frameworks
- Key poetic techniques include mythological allusion, vivid imagery, enjambment that creates breathless momentum, and symbolism that transforms London's Underground into a mythic underworld
- The tone balances playful excitement with deeper melancholy, reflecting both the joy of the moment and the fragility of memory and love
- The final line "damned if I look back" connects directly to the Orpheus myth, showing the speaker's determination not to lose what he's pursuing through impatience or doubt