Of four young brothers, trailed
For miles along the lines.
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III
Something of his sad freedom
As he rode the tumbril
Should come to me, driving,
Saying the names
Tollund, Grauballe, Nebelgard,
Watching the pointing hands
Of country people,
Not knowing their tongue.
Out here in Jutland
In the old man-killing parishes
I will feel lost,
Unhappy and at home.
Jutland is part of Denmark. The location “out here” is ironic, as Heaney goes on to merge two violent communities; Northern Ireland during The Troubles and primitive Denmark.
The Tollund Man