Seamus Heaney used this poem, "Bye-Child", to express how he feels and what he thinks about abused and mistreated children. The description of the child being a, "little henhouse boy" could be an attempt to connect with abused children universally, as many times they are locked up and they feel as if they are a poor animal in a henhouse. As Heaney implements the phrase "Your frail shape, luminous, Weightless" into the poem, he depicts the appearances of the children, and how an abused child would look, while letting the children know that he understands that they must feel insignificant and as if they carry no weight, literally and figuratively.
The soft language of the poem such as, "little henhouse boy", and, "Little moon man" are used to make sure that the child doesn't feel threatened by the words in this poem, and is able to listen to the gentle words and be comforted.
Through language, Heaney sympathizes with abused children, while sharing his opinion on how terrible he thinks child abuse is.
