“Sweeney Praises the Trees”
The Daily Poem

“Sweeney Praises the Trees”

B2Upper-intermediateOctober 2, 20262 min
  • One speaker

Today’s poem, translated from the Irish by Seamus Heaney, delivers precisely what the title promises. Happy reading. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dailypoempod.substack.com/subscribe

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and today is Friday, October 2nd, 2026. Today's poem is an unattributed, traditional Irish poem,

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finds things to appreciate about a whole host of trees, some that might strike

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0:00

Welcome back to The Daily Poem, a podcast from Goldberry Studios. I'm Sean Johnson, and today is Friday, October 2nd, 2026. Today's poem is an unattributed, traditional Irish poem, here translated by Seamus Haney. It's called Sweeney Praises the Trees. Our speaker, Sweeney, finds things to appreciate about a whole host of trees, some that might strike

0:31

others even as unlikable. In the end, there's just one thing about trees or a tree adjacent thing that he is not quite so enthusiastic about, and that one thing is also a clue maybe to Sweeney's age. So Harken all you tree lovers, Here's the poem. Sweeney praises the trees.

0:56

The branchy, leafy oak tree is highest in the wood, The shooting hazel bushes hide sweet hazelnuts. The alder is my darling, all thornless in the gap, Some milk of human kindness coursing in its sap.

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