This is a joyful simile, comparing the songs being sung to the wine being poured. Both are plentiful, and the amount of singing is directly related to the level of intoxication.
METAPHOR
Interesting and unusual metaphors are an important feature of Kennelly’s poetry. For example:
„„‘an islander at sea’ (‘“Dear Autumn Girl”’) Here Kennelly is comparing himself to an islander at sea, for where would an islander be happier than at sea? This shows us that Kennelly is in his element being a father.
„„‘My heart’s wound’ (‘A Cry for Art O’Leary’)
Kennelly compares the unnecessary death of Art O’Leary to a wound upon his wife’s heart. ‘Wound’ suggests blood, pain, laceration and violence, so this metaphor is effective in conveying the loss she is suffering.
„„‘Should I make it into a small white church in/ A country-place where bells are childhood prayers?’ (‘Things I Might Do’)
The comparison of church bells to childhood prayers suggests innocence and redemption and therefore shows us that this is what the speaker in the poem really desires.
PERSONIFICATION
Kennelly often uses personification to illustrate the pain and heartache he associates with love. For example:
„„‘Someone else cut off my head/ In a golden field./ Now I am re-created// By her fingers.’ (‘Bread’)
Kennelly personifies a blade of wheat, describing how his head has been cut off. The violence of this image suggests the sacrifice and transformation of a romantic relationship.
„„‘I am a locked trunk/ The key is lost/ I must wait till rust/ Devours the screw’ (‘A Cry for Art O’Leary’)
Kennelly personifies Ní Chonaill as a trunk that is locked and Art O’Leary as the key that has been lost. This conveys the love between them vividly (he alone has the key to her heart) and it is also a reference to their physical relationship. The noun ‘rust’ conveys the slow passing of time and shows Ní Chonaill’s determination not to marry again.
„„‘the trees wore their rainy veils/ With a reticent air.’ (‘A Great Day’)
The personification of the trees as brides wearing veils of rain ties in with the wedding that is the subject of the poem. It is also a reminder that, by the time the couple are on the train, the bride has already put her dress and veil away. The fact that only the trees now wear veils foreshadows the ending of this relationship.
