oysters

• My palate hung with starlight:

  As I tasted the salty Pleiades

  'palate' - roof of mouth + ability to distinguish different flavours

  'starlight / As I tasted the salty Pleiades' - sibilance emphasises smooth process of swallowing oyster + refers to sexual pleasure

  'Pleiades' - star cluster (seven sisters) + Greek myth actual sister of Atlas (Sky Titan) + Pleione (Sea Nymph)

  MYTH, FOLKLORE
• Orion dipped his foot into the water. 


  'Orion' - a hunter who pursued Pleione + seven sisters, interpreted as Britain colonising Ireland + reference to Roman Empire

  'water' - symbol of fertility

  MYTH, FOLKLORE
• Alive and violated,

  They lay on their bed of ice:

  Bivalves: the split bulb 


  'Alive and violated,' - anthropomorphisation changes POV, connotes rape + power

  'bed of ice' - oxymoronic phrase suggests comfort + coldness, immobility + helplessness (sacrifice?)

  'Bivalves' - mollusc

  'split bulb' - reference to division between Northern Ireland + Southern Ireland

  IRELAND
• The Romans hauled their oysters south to Rome:

  ...

  Glut of privilege

  And was angry that my trust could not repose 


  'Romans hauled' - suggests hard work to obtain luxury, criticism of Empire + 'raping' environment (Britain to Ireland)

  'south to Rome' - British sending Irish produce south to London

  'Glut of privilege' - connotes status, London benefit from Irish

  'And was angry' - enjambment from previous stanza, anger of Irish who have failed to save their country

  'my trust' - Ireland's trust

  'could not repose' - Ireland being caught off guard

  IRELAND
• Might quicken me into verb, pure verb.


  Irish encouraged to action, a baby in the womb quickens before birth

  IRELAND