Quarantine (poem)

"Quarantine" is a political poem[1] written by Irish poet Eavan Boland about the Irish famine of the mid 19th century, published in her 2001 poetry collection Code.[2] It was one of 10 poems shortlisted for RTÉ's selection of Ireland's favourite poems of the last 100 years in 2015.[2][3]

The poem is about a couple who leave the workhouse during the worst year of the Irish famine while she was sick with famine fever (typhus). The next day they are found to have frozen to death, with her feet held against his chest as he tried to keep her warm.[4][2]

The 20-line poem is made up of five stanzas, and is without ornament.[5]

References
  1. Foust, Rebecca (15 November 2015). "Poetry Sunday: 'Privilege,' by Barbara Berman". Women's Voices For Change. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  2. "Quarantine". RTÉ – Poem for Ireland. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  3. "A Poem for Ireland: Seamus Heaney poem chosen as Ireland's favourite of past 100 years". independent. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  4. Alexander G. Gonzalez (2006). Irish Women Writers: An A-to-Z Guide. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 32. ISBN 978-0-313-32883-1.
  5. Gregerson, Linda (2014). "Quarantine". P. N. Review. 41.


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