Derek Mahon: The Seaside Cemetery

Allusion to Classical figure Athene ('Minerve' in the original). Valéry's Achilles is simply referred to as a "mighty hero".

Close translation of words/phrases/excerpts Valéry's "Tout fuit" is translated as "everything flows". However, this is also the most commonly used English translation of the Greek Panta rhei (Πάντα ῥεῖ), the aphorism commonly attributed to the philosopher Heraclitus. See also 'Heraclitus on Rivers' (CP p.114) and 'Harbour Lights', the previous poem in this collection.

Classical/post-Classical intertexts The poem is a reworking of Paul Valéry's Le Cimetière marin (published in Charmes, 1922).