“A lot of the poems I’ve written are trying to bring together a world where writing isn’t work, it is a kind of indulgence,” he said.

Heaney spent most of the lecture, titled “Selected Poems and Preoccupations,” reading and interpreting his original and translated poems. Many of his poems related to his own life experiences. After reading 20 poems, Heaney answered questions from the audience about his inspiration and the importance of poetry.

Before reading his poem “A Drink of Water,” Heaney recalled the woman who inspired him to write it — an old neighbor who believed in magic and superstition. Though he was afraid of her, Heaney said, he saw her every morning when she came to his well to fill her water bucket.

Heaney’s poems also drew from his experiences in Ireland, such as the time he went to Galway to take part in what he considered one of his ‘greatest sinful indulgences’ — eating oysters. In “Oysters,” Heaney described what he remembers of this childhood experience.

During the Q&A session, Heaney said his personal inspiration comes from a memory he forgot about but is unexpectedly awakened to serve its purpose as an idea for a poem.

Heaney also said the voice of poets is equally as important as the voice of economists or political forecasters who seem to be in control in today’s society. People and the community place value upon poetry, he said.

“That value is earned not just by what is going on now, but by what has been inherited, what is in the language, what is to be cherished from the past, what belongs to us, and what we must keep and extend, if possible,” Heaney said.

Iona Holloway, a sophomore psychology major, said she enjoyed the lecture because she realized Heaney’s poetry related to his personal life and experiences. She also said hearing him in person helped her understand the poems of his she read in high school.

“When he speaks, he has got such an amazing way of putting things,” Holloway said. “When the person who has actually written the poem speaks it, you get the meaning more.”