A commentary on All Souls’ Morning

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Idil Mohamud

Eamon Grennan’s poem, All Souls’ Morning, is a sombre remembrance of the momentous bond
shared between the poet’s parents and the classic bond of man and dog. The poem, published in
1985, is set in the cold, wintry landscape of Dublin, where both man and animal seek shelter in
the convivial domestic scene. The poet captures the quiet magnitude of the momentous bonds
through detailed imagery and the contrast presented between the warmth of a home and the
bitter Irish weather.

The tone of the poem begins as merely observational and the poet is portrayed as relaying a
scene that he is presumably recalling. The active voice of the poem is given to the rain,
immediately portraying a frosty, outdoor scene, which is further illustrated by the
onomatopoeia of “splatting” emphasising the unforgiving Irish weather. The light that shines
through this harsh weather is described as “citrine”, highly evocative of the bitter scene, which
is recurrently compounded throughout the poem. The description of a “dead quiet” house
alludes to a serene, perhaps hypnotic scene that would lull one into a reverie state. However, the
tranquillity woven by the wintry milieu is shattered by the active voice given to the furnace,
described as “thumping in the cellar.” The imagery of the quiet frosty outdoor scene is
juxtaposed against the warm, loud, indoor image, indicating the disparity between both scenes.
They are also contrasted against one another through structure. Where the wintry scene is
described in short, concise sentences, the domestic scene is described through an enjambment,
emphasising the warmth of the image. The poem the moves on to continue to break out of the
lulling pace that was formed through the shorter sentences and adopts a faster, quickened pace.
In describing his neighbour, the poet identifies him firstly as “that man”, as if to be recalling the
memory once again exactly as it has first occurred. He then further identifies him as “my
neighbour”, perhaps recalling the need to specify him to his audience as he exists outside of his
own mind. This plunges readers into an immediacy with the poet, as the audience slowly
becomes intimate with the poet’s innermost thoughts.

The poet, describing his neighbour’s daily practise of walking his dog, portrays the diligence of
the neighbour’s custom through an enjambment, quickening the pace of the poem and
emphasising the neighbour’s habitual early morning routine. The frequency of run on lines
provides the poet’s audience with a sense familiarity, illustrating the poet’s ease in recollecting
his thoughts. The “cherry-red leash” that dangles from the neighbours “pale hand” is a
juxtaposition – presenting the brightly coloured leash in sharp contrast to the wintry
surroundings. The plosive sound of “pale” also dramatises this contrast, heightening the vivid
imagery. The poet’s description of his neighbour’s dog is delightfully precise, likening the dog’s
coat to the rich, evocative imagery of autumn leaves. The active voice is once again given to the
focus of nature, the leaves describing the seasonal changes from autumn to winter, emphasized
by the repetition of “and”. The tone of the poem now becomes slightly reverential, as the poet
shrewdly depicts his neighbour. The hyperbole of “huge patience”, coupled with the minute
observation of a “stiff neck”, gives the audience a sense of the poet’s observational nature, of
delving beyond the unadorned truth. The orange umbrella “blossoming” from the neighbour’s
fist is evocative of nature’s seasonal beauty that otherwise absent from the poem. The word
“surprise” encompasses the action perfectly – the vivid, orange colour seemingly igniting amidst
the dark and unpleasant scenery. The verb “blossoming” captures the essence of the imagery, as
the umbrella is likened to the blossoming action of spring flowers. The poet, in describing the
“loll” of the neighbour’s dog, presents yet another juxtaposition. The “loll” of dog, fluid in motion
is contrasted against his owner’s “treadle action”, of a man bracing himself against the cold,
ploughing through the wind.

The neighbour and his dog are conveyed as equal in both thought and action, alluding to the
strong bond they share as man and creature. Their obvious disparity is rendered irrelevant by
it’s absence from the poem. Instead, the poet indulges in the way the neighbour returns up
Locust drive, “dog by his side”, “both eager to be in again.” The neighbour and his dog are alike in
thought and action in the simplest sense. The poet, in a chatty, conversational tone, breaks out
of his reverie to reflect on the deep, bond he had witnessed and preserved. The poet depicts
them as “bound to one another” – implying equal affection and fondness. The plosive sound of
“bound” also dramatises this bond. They share a connection that penetrates the typical owner-
and-dog relationship. The rhythm of the line falls on “years”, emphasising the habitual essence
of the connection they share, a connection that far surpasses the petty troubles of Irish weather.
The poet, expressing his thoughts processes unreservedly, encounters the memory of his father,
evoked by his reflection of his neighbour. Once again, the poet’s father is “bent against the bitter
wind”, the alliteration of the plosive “b” sounds emphasising the wintry surroundings. The verb
“tunnelled” is strong, prompting the audience to envisage a wintry street, cocooned in
unforgiving wind and rain. This is compounded by the assonance of “bitter wind”, dramatising
this imagery. The father’s dog is also described – however, contrasted against the seasonal
description of the neighbour’s dog, he is affectionately described as a “black mongrel”. This
familiarity is also heightened by the plosive sounds in “black mongrel, Brandy”. The poet
presents yet another juxtaposition through the depicted movement of the dogs. The “loll” of the
neighbour’s dog is contrasted against the “straining” Brandy. However, despite this difference,
both owners and their dogs are all eager and glad to return to their domestic scenes, out from
the cold and into a convivial, ineffable homely atmosphere, emphasising the contentment
affable, home scene.

The poet, in a light-hearted, relaxed tone, everyday customs of his home – of his mother
“fussing” together tea for the family, depicted as simply content with her domestic role. The
poet’s father, thoughts lost amidst the rain and wind, is anxious to return home to his wife,
alluding to the relationship they share. There is no mention or resentment but rather of the
pure and simple longing to be in the presence of one another’s company. The poem then
changes in time frame, alluding to a point closer to the present. In the present time, the father
has passed away, leaving his wife to “run aground grief at being no-one in the world.”Their bond
goes beyond that of husband and wife, much like the neighbour’s connection with his dog. They
are bound to one another, their identities intertwined. This intertwined identity is abruptly
stopped by nothing other than death, their mortality the only end to the intensity of their love.
The poet, once again in a conversational tone, reflects on the resonating inevitability of death,
“the bottom line.” The audience is then addressed, drawing the reader in through inclusive
language, allowing the poet to impart his wisdom personally. However, the poet does not depict
death as a conqueror, as the vanquisher of life. Rather, we are depicted as “walking very fast
with death”- as death’s natural companion, neither running away nor shrinking away from it.
Through the personification of death, as a being capable of walking, the imagery of death as a
companion is heightened. Following this luciferous understanding, the poet reverts to focusing
on nature, the onomatopoeia of “rattling” evocative of the trees barren of leaves – imagery that
can be associated with the bleak resonating realisation of mortality. However, the imagery turns
suddenly to one of vitality and life, as “rain gives way to sky-bright weather” and “gray aquarium
light making luminous the air”. The leaves, formerly dead, are personified, “joyriding down
Locust Road,” the personification of the leaves emphasising the poem’s carefree, blithe tone. The
spoken text, presumably taken from his wife, echoes the poem’s former absorption with
memories, of reminiscence and ghostly characters prevailing through preserved memory. The
poet perhaps is alluding to the title of the poem, a day commemorating all those that have
passed away. The poet’s wife could perhaps be speaking of the ghosts of her husband past,
heightened by the alliteration of the “w”. However, the poet alludes to his desire to live in the
present, to dwell in the present. This, coupled with the transformation from the gloomy to the
gloriously colourful, shows the poet’s willingness to accept his mortality and live in the beauty
of the present moment.

The poem All Souls’ Morning is a beautiful testament to the lasting relationship between both
man and dog and husband and wife. It is a resounding realisation and acceptance of mortality
and an appreciation for the beauty of nature. Eamon Grennan portrays a preoccupation with a
captured moment through striking imagery, communicating the deep affection that exists in
relationships.