Sometimes you just want a poem to soothe you, and many of us have needed soothing of late. Just look around. And so it seems a good time to pull out this much-anthologized gem of a poem from the late Irish poet Derek Mahon.
You can hear Mahon read his poem here and you can also hear the actor Damian Lewis read it (with greater theatrics but less lilt) here. Mahon’s poem became popular during the early months of the pandemic, and he himself died in the fall of 2020. Lewis dedicated the night of poetry that this performance is part of to his own late wife Helen McCrory. In both voices we know that “there will be dying” as well as a “riot of sunlight” to carry us through.
Or, if you prefer, let Bob Marley sing you his version. It’s soothing too.
“The sun rises in spite of everything
and the far cities are beautiful and bright.”
