In this poem the speaker starts living at the flat which a man named Mr Bleaney used to live at. The speaker compares his own life to what he'd imagine Mr Bleaney's life was like.
Firstly, the name 'Bleaney' could have the connotations of bleak, dreary and mean. This could suggest that this is what Mr Bleaney was like as a person, but I reckon more likely the speaker is suggesting that Mr Bleaney's and maybe his own life is bleak, dreary and mean.
At the beginning of the poem, the speaker describes Mr Bleaney to be very separate from himself, using words such as "him" and "he" as opposed to 'us'. It being Mr Bleaney's "room" suggests from the beginning of the poem that the flat is very small and basic. Mr Bleaney "stayed the whole time he was the Bodies", him just "staying" could suggest that he didn't really make the flat a home, the word stayed makes it sound more like he was a guest, instead of saying he lived there. The speaker could be suggesting that although physically Mr Bleaney was alive, he didn't really have a life. Mr Bleaney working at the "Bodies" instantly made me think of dead bodies. The speaker may be again suggesting how little of a life Mr Bleaney had. The speaker said that "they moved" Mr Bleaney from the flat, this suggests that if they hadn't done, he would have lived there forever, suggesting that he's not changing or developing as a person, he's simply existing.
In the flat, there were "flowered curtains, thin and frayed", suggesting they're cheap, old and damaged, this could perhaps be metaphorical for Mr Bleaney's life. The curtains "fall to within five inches of the sill", showing they don't fit the window properly, this could be symbolic for how nothing in Mr Bleaney's life is right. The window only "shows a strip of building land", suggesting that the room has little natural light and that Mr Bleaney may be isolated from the outside world. The neighbour says that 'Mr Bleaney too my bit of garden properly in hand' however, it was still "tussocky, littered", suggesting that Mr Bleaney may have been caring, but it also makes the reader question the state of the garden prior to Mr Bleaney looking after it, if his neighbour says he looked after it well. It could suggest that the surrounding area in which Mr Bleaney lived was fairly neglected. In Mr Bleaney's room there was a "bed, upright chair, sixty watt bulb, no hook behind the door, no room for books or bags", this reinforces how basic and dull the room is, this could also be symbolic for Mr Bleaney's life and personality. The only possessions Mr Bleaney has are the bare minimum. The room has the description of what I can imagine a prison cell would be like, this could reinforce the idea of how the narrator and maybe Mr Bleaney felt isolated and lonely when living there.
Despite having imagined how Mr Bleaney lived in the room, the narrator agrees to live there afterwards, saying "I'll take it". I can imagine the narrator would have this in a disappointed tone, he's disappointed that that's his only option. The narrator laid where "Mr Bleaney lay", suggesting that his life is becoming like Mr Bleaney's. When laying there on the bed, the narrator is probably questioning life and wondering if that is all there is to his life. Perhaps he feels isolated. The narrator says that he "knows (Mr Bleaney's) habits", "what time he came down, his preference for sauce to gravy, why he kept on plugging at the four aways", but how can he know Mr Bleaney's habits when he'd never met him? Perhaps he knew because they shared the same flat but at different times and maybe since living there, the narrator has the same habits. Mr Bleaney spent "Christmas at his sister's house in Stoke", suggesting that he was lonely as he did the same thing every year, probably not having any other offers.
After the narrator describing what he thinks Mr Bleaney's life was like, he begins to wonder how Mr Bleaney felt about his life, was he happy? This question suggests that the narrator is unhappy living where he is, and wonders how anyone could possibly enjoy living like that. The narrator "stood and watched the frigid wind tousling the clouds", suggesting that inside his flat he felt very isolated from the world. When looking at the sky, people often reflect on life and this may be what the narrator was doing. The bed which the narrator had was "fusty", this could also be metaphorical for how the narrator feels very isolated and claustrophobic in his flat, it's like he needs an escape. The narrator was "telling himself that this was home, and grinned, and shivered", this suggests that he really doesn't feel at home, the grinning creates an image of him feeling uncomfortable but pretending to be happy.
Like many other Larkin poems, the ending of this poem is much more philosophical and less concrete than the rest of the poem. The narrator is scared of that "how we live measure our own nature", suggesting that what we do in our lives defines us as a person, therefore the narrator and Mr Bleaney who seem to have done very little in their lives, it could be said that they themselves are nothing. The narrator seems to be disappointed with how "at his age having no more to show than one hired box", the "hired box" is referring to his flat, but also could refer to a coffin, all that will happen in his life is that he'll die. Life and character being defined by possessions links to Larkin's poem 'Home Is So Sad' and Abse's poem 'Last Vist to 198 Cathedral Road'. The idea of not really having anything to show for in life is also seen in Larkin's poems, 'Dockery and Son', 'Self's the Man' and 'Send No Money'. The room made the narrator feel as though "he warranted no better", suggesting that the nothingness of the room has made him realise the nothingness of his life, he feels disappointed with how little he has accomplished and feels like he hasn't tried hard enough in life so how could he expect more from life? This made me think of the phrase about how you reap what you sow in life.
This poem is about the speaker being "at home" "playing record after record", whilst a person who I'm presuming is the speaker's mum, is in another room listening to the same music.
The poem starts by the speaker's mum saying that the record previously played was a "pretty one". The word "pretty" seems a significantly less powerful adjective to use to describe music compared to the way the speaker has done in this poem and has done in other musical Larkin poems. The comment by the speaker's mum could suggest that she is less interested in the music than him, but still enjoys listening to it because it's a way of spending time with her son and she wants to please him.
The speaker was in "the unsatisfactory room" and his mum was in "the unsatisfactory hall". The repetition of "unsatisfactory" in both places could suggest that the speaker feels isolated and unhappy at home wherever he is in the house, perhaps the house he was brought up in no longer feels like home to him anymore. This could link to another Larkin poem, 'Home Is So Sad' but also Abse's poem 'Last Visit to 198 Cathedral Road'.
The speaker was "wasting" time, playing the records "idly", however this is the time that his mum "looked so much forward to". The contrast here is that it seems the speaker isn't enjoying the time spent listening to music with his mum, as if he was enjoying it, he wouldn't see it as wasted time? Maybe he feels like he should be doing something purposeful, but his mum actually looks forward to this time. However, there is also a similarity in these comments by the speaker because both people are wasting time, like the speaker says he is and the speaker's mum is essentially wishing away the present so she can spend time with her son. This emphasises how as people grow up, they have less time for their parents because their lives are busy with other things, yet a lot of elderly people's lives revolve around their family and seeing them, leaving the elderly feeling lonely.
At the end of the second stanza, "unsatisfactory is repeated again, the speaker's mum's "unsatisfactory age" and the speaker's "unsatisfactory prime". Both times in the people's lives being unsatisfactory could suggest that at whatever age no one is 100% happy. Perhaps the speaker feels guilty for his mum's old age, when he is at him prime age where he is starting to live, and she's nearing the end of her life. In this stanza it's made clear that "Oliver's Riverside Blues" reminds the speaker of the time with his mum when he perhaps wasn't appreciating time spent with her as much as he wishes he had done.
Like many other Larkin poems, the final stanza of this poem is a lot more philosophical than the rest of the poem. The speaker says that although "our element is time, we're not suited to the long perspectives", this suggests that we should live in the present more, instead of constantly reflecting on the past or focusing on the future. It can prevent us from appreciating something which is happening at the moment in our lives. The speaker says that reflecting over life shows us "what we have as it once was, blindingly undiminished", this expresses quite a depressing view, suggesting that as time goes by everything in our life decays and everything is better in youth. The speaker realises that "by acting differently we could have kept it so", suggesting that our life choices define our lives and emphasises the importance of appreciating time and the precious moments we experience.
The idea of looking back on music and everything being better in youth reminds me of Larkin's poem 'Love Songs in Age'. Also, 'Dockery and Son' and 'Self's the Man' link to this poem because they all express the idea that our life choices determine the rest of our lives. As well as these poems, Larkin's poem 'Send No Money' links to this poem because the speaker watches time pass and didn't fully appreciate the present. And like I have already said, Larkin's 'Home is so Sad' and Abse's 'Last Visit to 198 Cathedral Road' links to this poem.
The main thought I am left with after reading this poem is that we can never get back time so we should try and appreciate every moment. This idea reminds me of Larkin's poem 'Ambulances' which suggests that life is so fragile that it's like it's hanging on a "thread", emphasising how precious life is and how really we are lucky to be alive.
This poem is addressed to the jazz artist Sidney Bechet by the speaker, vividly describing his experience whilst listening to the music.
The speaker goes straight into describing the music, the "note" Bechet plays which is "narrowing and rising" and it "shakes like New Orleans reflected on the water", suggesting there's something magnificent about what the speaker is hearing. Also, New Orleans is the place which Sidney Bechet was born and is where blues and jazz music emerged, reinforcing the theme of love for jazz music. However, in the final line of the first stanza the speaker says that "falsehood wakes", this could suggest that the joy and emotions felt by the audience are only temporary as they are only felt for the art/creation of music, not for the real things in their life. This may suggest that music for the speaker is like an escapism for the other things in life, as it is a creation which you can lose yourself in, possibly creating only a false/temporary sense of happiness?
The speaker goes on to describe the different ways in which Sidney Bechet's music affects different types of people:
For some, the music builds a "legendary Quarter of balconies, flower-baskets and quadrilles", they're "making love" and saying "Oh, play that thing!". This suggests that for these people, the jazz music is simply something they enjoy to listen to whilst socialising/ The sounds created by the music are exciting and fun for these people, it's suggested that they may not see or be looking for a deeper meaning behind the music, they appreciate the music on a superficial level whilst sharing excitement and happiness with those around them. This creates quite a romantic reaction to the music.
Other people are "grouping", "sporting-house girls" who are "like circus tigers", creating a more of a dark and dangerous image. Sporting house girls is referring to prostitutes and them being like "circus tigers" emphasises how they are there to entertain other people and their feelings maybe ignored or made to be irrelevant because what's important is their job. The girls being like "circus tigers" suggests to me that they're trapped and what they're going through may not be out of choice - sympathy is created for the prostitutes. Also, the simile of "circus tigers" suggests that the tigers that are naturally wild and obviously animalistic, are now tame and controlled. This being a simile for the prostitutes emphasises how what happens in sex should come naturally and stem from the people genuinely wanting to be having sex with one another and intimately expressing their feelings and desires. However, the prostitutes are like "circus tigers", suggesting that the sex they're having with their clients isn't how I just described, and instead is controlled, meaningless and like a chore to them, just something they have to do to get by and "pretend" they're happy to do it, to please their client.
Others are "scholars manques" that are "wrapped up in personnels like old plaids", this doesn't show any sign that these people are enjoying the music, and instead they are focused on their work.
In the fifth stanza the speaker describes his own feelings about Sidney Bechet's music. From this stanza we can tell that the speaker feels very passionate about the music, as Bechet's voice falls on him "as they say love should". To the speaker, the music is "like an enormous yes", suggesting that it is orgasmic to the speaker. Obviously the speaker isn't having an actual orgasm, the "enormous yes" doesn't mean the speaker is sexually thrilled in any way but it suggests that the music brings him ecstasy and intense feelings, the music is so amazing to him that it can't compare to anything else - a musical orgasm perhaps.
Sidney Bechet's music is the "natural noise of good" for the speaker, suggesting again that music is one of the speaker's passions. "Scattering long-haired" could suggest that the speaker had goose bumps listening to the music. The "grief and scored pity" suggests that behind the cheerful sounds of the jazz music, the speaker can understand and feel a deeper meaning behind the music which sometimes expresses pain. This suggests that the music can make the speaker feel emotional from understanding the grief that Sidney Bechet has gone through and creates an image of the speaker being mesmerised by what he's hearing, showing how the speaker feels truly connected to the music.
The poem...
'Hometown'; well, most admit an affection for a city:
grey, tangled streets I cycled on to school, my first
cigarette
in the back lane, and, fool, my first botched love affair.
First everything. Faded torments; self-indulgent pity.
The journey to Cardiff seemed less a return than a raid
on mislaid identities. Of course the whole locus smaller:
the mile-wide Taff now a stream, the castle not as in
some black,
gothic dream, but a decent sprawl, a joker's toy façade.
Unfocused voices in the wind, associations, clues,
odds and ends, fringes caught, as when, after the doctor
quit,
a door opened and I glimpsed the white, enormous face
of my grandfather, suddenly aghast with certain news.
Unable to define anything I can hardly speak,
and still I love the place for what I wanted it to be
as much as for what unashamedly is
now for me, a city of strangers, alien and bleak.
Unable to communicate I'm easily betrayed,
uneasily diverted by mere sense reflections
like those anchored waterscapes that wander, alter, in
the Taff,
hour by hour, as light slants down a different shade.
Illusory, too, that lost dark playground after rain,
the noise of trams, gunshots in what they once called
Tiger Bay.
Only real this smell of ripe, damp earth when the sun
comes out,
a mixture of pungencies, half exquisite and half plain.
No sooner than I'd arrived the other Cardiff had gone,
smoke in the memory, these but tinned resemblances,
where the boy I was not and the man I am not
met, hesitated, left double footsteps, then walked on.
Commentary...
In this poem I think that the speaker's return to Cardiff, his 'Hometown' has made him realise that it's very different to what it was before, it was now "alien and bleak" to him. However, there's still and always will be a part of him that will love and think of Cardiff as home simply for the reason that it was his first home and the happy childhood and early adulthood memories created there, his "first (for)everything" happened there such as his "first cigarette" and "first botched love affair". It mattering to the speaker that his firsts happened in Cardiff suggests that to him, Cardiff is like the foundation to who he is, the place holds great sentimental value.
In this poem there is a sense of decay in the speaker's hometown of Cardiff, the "mile-wide Taff now a stream, the castle not as in some black, gothic dream, but a decent sprawl, a joker's toy facade", although this could suggest decay, it could also suggest ow the speaker has the ability to see things for what they really are, unlike when he was a child and may have exaggerated things a lot, perhaps because a child's perception of reality can be more exciting. The "mislaid identities" and Cardiff being "alien" to the speaker suggests that he feels out of place, being surrounded by "strangers". This could link to Larkin's poem 'Dockery and Son', because the speaker feels different to the people around him.
The change in Cardiff is emphasised by the speaker when he is "unable to define anything", he "can hardly speak" suggesting that the unfamiliarity of his hometown is overwhelming for the speaker. The speaker felt "betrayed" by the changes to begin with, where "Cardiff had gone", meaning that what Cardiff was to him was no longer there. At the end of the poem the speaker "walked on", suggesting that he has accepted that Cardiff isn't the same as his memories envisaged.
Another Larkin poem which this Abse poem reminds me of is 'Here' as in both, the speakers return to their hometown, which is important to them in some way.
The poem...
Here's a photograph of grandmother, Annabella.
How slim she appears, how vulnerable. Pretty.
And here's a photograph of grandmother, Doris.
How portly she looks, formidable. Handsome.
Annabella wears a demure black frock with an amber
brooch.
Doris, a lacy black gown with a string of pearls.
One photo's marked Ystalyfera 1880,
the other Bridgend 1890.
Both were told to say, 'Cheese'; one, defiant, said 'Chalk!'
Annabella spoke Welsh with a Patagonian accent.
Doris spoke English with a Welsh Valleys' lilt.
Annabella fasted - pious, passive, enjoyed small-talk.
Doris feasted - pacy, pushy, would never pray. Ate pork!
When Annabella told Doris she was damned
indecorous Doris devilishly laughed.
I liked Doris, I liked Annabella,
though Doris was bossy and Annabella daft.
I do not think they liked each other.
Last night I dreamed they stood back to back,
not for the commencement of a duel
but to see who was taller! Now, in these revived
waking hours, my Eau de Cologne grandmothers
with buns of grey hair, of withered rose,
seem illusory, fugitive, like my dream -
or like the dust that secretively flows
in a sudden sunbeam (sieved through leaky curtains)
and disappears when and where that sunbeam goes.
Of two old ladies once uxoriously loved,
what's survived? An amber brooch, a string of pearls,
two photographs. Happening on them, my children's
grandchildren will ask 'Who?' - hardly aware
that if this be not true, I never lived.
Commentary...
This poem is about the speaker looking at "two photographs" of his grandmothers. He compares them both as very different to one another, however he liked them equally.
Grandmother Annabella is described as quite delicate as she's "slim", "pretty" and "vulnerable". Whereas Doris is portrayed as the opposite, she was "formidable", "portly" and "handsome". The poem is quite comical and light-hearted, "both were told to say, 'Cheese', one, defiant, said 'Chalk!'".
Further differences are described between the two grandmothers, "Annabella fasted - pious, passive, enjoyed small-talk" suggesting that she was strictly religious and easy-going. Whereas "Doris feasted - pacy, pushy, would never pray. Ate pork!" suggesting that Doris didn't follow the Jewish religion and was more of a bold and perhaps controversial person to be around. Despite the differences, the speaker "liked" both grandmothers equally.
In the speaker's dream about his grandmothers, they're described to be more similar than previously in the poem. The grandmothers were like "withered rose", this could suggest that although old, and with flaws, they are both still two beautiful people to the speaker and mean a lot to him - parallelling with the phrase that 'every rose has its thorn'. The grandmothers are "like the dust that secretively flows in a sudden sunbeam...and disappears when and where that sunbeam goes". This suggests that they will never be completely be forgotten, as dust is always there, memories will come back of them in a "sudden" manner, however their significance has been reduced down to the significance of dust, suggesting that's all that's left of them.
The two grandmothers were "once uxoriously loved", however all that's left of them is "an amber brooch, a string of pearls, two photographs" - material objects. This suggests that the speaker may be feeling like there should be more physical things left behind to show the love that was felt for them. However, love is obviously not an object so cannot always be seen, maybe the few objects that are left will be very sentimental to the speaker because that's all he has to show for his grandmothers. The speaker seems to find it hard to believe that his "children's grandchildren will ask 'Who?'" about his grandmothers, showing how really we're only significant in our life time and a short while after, when the people who loved us die, so will the memory of us. This reminds me of Larkin's poem 'Ambulances' that death is the "solving emptiness", reinforcing that after all the love and all other emotions felt for a person, when they die they'll be empty and after a while all they'll be is a name on a grave stone. It also made me think of in Larkin's poem 'Here', at the end where the speaker is looking out to sea and appreciating being alone, it made me think of the significance of the rest of the world compared to one person, how one person's life has very little effect on the rest of humanity.
Another Larkin poem which this poem reminds me of is 'Wild Oats' as both poems compare memories of two women and were triggered by a photograph. Also, 'Home Is So Sad' by Larkin links to this poem in the sense that when we die, all that's left is people's feelings for us and our possessions.'Mr Bleaney' could to link to this poem in the same way, as the house described in that poem defined the person, just like the possessions the grandmothers have left partly define them.
The poem...
In Stockholm
I saw my first shy love hobble by
hand in hand with her small blond grandson.
Eva Jones, remember me?
My acne. Your dimples.
When you rode your important Raleigh bike
to school, your skirt high,
I held my breath.
With heroic intensity of a 15 year old,
dared by you, I climbed the glass-crowned wall
and stole Mrs Humphreys' summer apples.
Oh the forever of an August Sunday evening
when near the back door's delinquent scent
of honeysuckle, forhead to forehead
I searched your searching eyes.
All the next week similitudes of love,
the jailer of reason,
until plain as the prose of a synopsis,
you bluntly said (with impressive sighs)
'You have a beautiful classy mind
but I find you physically unattractive -
and I prefer, um, blond boys besides.'
Commentary...
In this poem, the speaker describes his "first shy love" with somebody called "Eva Jones" and her rejecting him. It being described by the speaker as a shy love suggests that the speaker kept his love for Eva a secret.
The speaker's memory is triggered by seeing Eva "hobble" in "Stockholm" "with her small blond grandson". This suggests that this happened many decades after they had anything to do with one another. Perhaps Eva's grandson being blonde is relevant because it could suggest that she fell in love and made a family with someone and then had a blonde grandchild, as she preferred "blond boys", however obviously it's possible to have a blonde grandchild and your partner not be blonde.
The speaking asking "remember me?" suggests that Eva meant a lot more to the speaker when he was younger than he did to her as he clearly remembers her. The speaker's "acne" is a typical sign of being a teenager, so it suggests that at the time he was in love with Eva he was a teenager. Eva' had dimples and "dimples" are typically considered as being child-like and represent innocence and suggest a fresh, young face. Some people think dimples are very adorable, and perhaps because the speaker remembered this specific facial feature of Eva, he thought so too. I think overall any kind of relationship the speaker and Eva had was loving yet innocent, fun and light-hearted.
When Eva rode her "important Raleigh bike to school" and her "skirt (was) high" the speaker held his "breath", suggesting that he found her intriguing, desirable and felt almost overwhelmed by her presence, you can imagine the speaker feeling butterflies in his stomach whenever he sees her. The love the speaker felt for Eva seems superficial as according to the poem he didn't actually know much about her. It's suggested that the speaker's love for Eva was an infatuation and wasn't reciprocal.
The speaker felt "heroic intensity" and was "dared" by Eva to climb a wall and steal "Mrs Humphreys' summer apples", suggesting he was trying to impress Eva. The "heroic intensity" describes the way I can imagine the speaker was feeling when infatuated with Eva quite well as it being heroic makes me think of child story books and reflects the innocence of the love as well as the speaker's feelings being very strong and important to him at the time.
The speaker and Eva shared a "week similitudes of love". However, "bluntly" like a "synopsis", (which reinforces that the relationship was childlike and fictional), Eva ended it with the speaker because she found him "physically unattractive" and prefers "blond boys". To not be with somebody because you prefer blonde boys reemphasises the lack of seriousness of the relationship and how childlike they both were, the shallowness doesn't seem out of place because of this. Also, to bluntly say you don't want to be with a person because you find them "physically unattractive" is almost comical because often people don't admit that it's for that reason, partly or completely they wouldn't like to be in a relationship with a person. Instead they sugar-coated it because they don't want to hurt the person's feelings or come across as shallow, but as a child you are a lot more honest. However, I do sympathise with the speaker as he was wearing his heart on his sleeve, feeling hopelessly in love with Eva, so for her to so bluntly leave him after giving him hope would have made him feel shattered.
A Larkin poem which I feel best links to this poem is 'Wild Oats' because of the theme of love and rejection.
The poem...
1935, I watched Glamorgan play
especially, Slogger Smart, free
from the disgrace of fame, unrenowned,
but the biggest hit with me.
A three-spring flash of willow
and suddenly, the sound of summer
as the thumped ball, alive, would leave
the applauding ground.
Once, hell for leather, it curled
over the workman's crane
in Westgate Street
to crash, they said, through a discreet
Angel Hotel windowpane.
But I, a pre-war boy,
(or someone with my name)
wanted it, that Eden day,
to scoot around the turning world,
to mock physics and gravity,
to rainbow-arch the posh hotel
higher, deranged, on and on, allegro,
(the Taff a gleam of mercury below)
going, going, gone
towards the Caerphilly mountain range.
Vanishings! The years, too, gone like change.
But the travelling Taff seems the same.
It's late, I peer at the failing sky
over Westgate Street
and wait. I smell cut grass.
I shine an apple on my thigh.
Commentary...
This poem is based on the speaker's memory of going to a cricket match when he was younger in "1935". The player "Slogger Smart" was "free from the disgrace of fame" but he was still the speaker's "biggest hit". The fact that fame is described as a "disgrace" by the speaker suggests that maybe fame inevitably changes a person and not in a good way, or maybe it's a disgrace how famous people have very little privacy, as being "unrenowned" and "free" suggests that famous people are trapped. The speaker's favourite player being the one that was "unrenowned" suggests that he likes him for genuine reasons such as him being a good player, rather than following the crowd like some people would when claiming to like famous players.
The speaker describes a positive and lively atmosphere at the cricket match, using words such as "three-spring flash of willow", "suddenly", "alive" and "applauding ground". Throughout the poem I get the impression that the speaker has a great passion for cricket. Although not cricket, this is similar with the passion for music expressed in some of Larkin's poems. These include 'Broadcast', 'Love Songs in Age' and 'For Sidney Bechet'.
The speaker then goes onto explain the movement of the cricket ball once it was hit. The ball left the "ground", "curled over the workman's crane" and then crashed through a "windowpane". This could metaphorically suggest that sometimes people get ahead of themselves and instead of achieving what they want, they end up crashing and failing, perhaps because they get caught in the moment and don't realise what they've done until they've got to suffer the consequences.
The day being called "Eden day" indicates a reference to the Garden of Eden in the bible where Adam and Eve first lived. This could suggest that the day was maybe so perfect to the boy that it was like paradise. It could also represent the potential the mid-air cricket ball has because of Eve's choice between right and wrong in the Garden of Eden. This idea reminds me of Larkin's poem 'As Bad as a Mile'. I think the day being "Eden day" could also reflect the speaker's passion for cricket as it made him feel that anything was possible. Such as the ball "scoot(ing) around the world".
The speaker saying he wanted the ball to go "higher", to "scoot around the world" shows potential, and how when in mid-air, the ball has the potential to go anywhere. This could be metaphorical for how cricket makes the speaker feel. It could also be a metaphor for life choices and how at the beginning, life is a blank canvas and could go anywhere, just like the ball. A particular poem of Larkin's which this idea reminds me of is 'Whitsun Weddings' with the "arrow shower".
The speaker felt it was relevant to mention that he was a "pre-war boy" when showing the potential the cricket ball could have/where he wanted it to go. This could suggest that the speaker may feel he was naive prior to the war, or maybe more optimistic.
The final stanza confused me a bit. However, I think it has become more philosophical compared to the rest of the poem. This structure is also often seen in Larkin's poems. I think the speaker means that although the years have "gone" and there's been "change", the "travelling Taff seems the same". I the Taff is referring to the speaker as it's slang for a Welshman. This could suggest that despite the changes that surround the speaker, at heart he is still the same person no matter where he goes. I think being Welsh and cricket are two of the speaker's passions which he feels will never change. The "years" and the speaker "peer(ing) at the failing sky" could suggest that he is waiting for some dream to happen that he's had for a long time and is maybe beginning to lose hope. I think maybe he dreams to be a cricket player because he smelled the "cut grass" at the cricket ground ready to be played on and "shine(d) an apple on (his thigh" like a cricket player would shine a cricket ball.
'One day, the piano has all the colours of the orchestra; another day, it brings forth sounds that come from other worlds.' - Edwin Fischer
The poem...
Many nearer than you have gone, too many,
so your going does not touch me deeply,
a one-fingered piano note only,
soft as a caress, sounding regret
and then again regret, diminuendo,
spare - hardly a Wagnerian Funeral March;
yet I want to say, 'Sorry, Miss Crouch,'
now that you are dismissed forever.
You were so unassuming and gentle.
If there's a heaven, that's your address.
Once, after the war, I observed you
at a romantic Moiseiwitsch concert,
at Cardiff's plush Empire (so soon after
demolished, replaced by a neon-lit superstore).
You sat thrilled in the stalls, eyes raptly shut
- not in the insanity of prayer but
as if that music was making love to you.
Now I stare at church gargoyles, church spire,
then I close my eyes also. Wait! Be patient! Look!
The Assumption of Miss Crouch. There! Up there!
Several hundred feet above the spire,
blessed and sedate in evening dress,
rising slowly above Glamorganshire,
you, old lady, playing the piano -
not an upright piece of furniture either
but a concert-hall, exalted Bechstien,
its one black wing uplifted and beating,
bringing forth sounds from another world,
yes, you and the piano triumphantly rising
between the clouds, higher and higher.
Commentary...
Part 2 of 'Musical Moments' is about the death of the speaker's childhood piano teacher - Miss Crouch.
This poem contrasts with part 1 of 'Musical Moments' as in this poem, the speaker seems to appreciate music a lot more. However, I think this is more appreciation in the sense that he appreciates other people's love for music, particularly "Miss Crouch", rather than appreciation of music because of his own enjoyment.
From the beginning of the poem the speaker states that the death of Miss Crouch "does not touch (him) deeply" for he has lost "too many" "nearer" people. As the poem doesn't really seem to be about any kind of grief or deep sadness about Miss Crouch's death, I feel it is more about the admiration and respect the speaker had for the piano teacher than anything else. Because Miss Crouch and the speaker weren't very close, it explains why the speaker is 'Outside a Graveyard', rather than going inside and attending what I'm assuming is her funeral.
The speaker may be feeling "regret" because he feels bad for the way he suddenly stopped his piano lessons which we saw in part 1 of 'Musical Moments'. Perhaps the speaker feels as though he's betrayed Miss Crouch in a way. Possibly the speaker feels "regret" because of his ignorance as a young boy of the musical education which Miss Crouch offered him. The speaker felt that Miss Crouch was "so unassuming and gentle", showing that even though he disliked his piano lessons, he liked his teacher. I think the speaker may be wanting to show that him leaving piano lessons was nothing to do with Miss Crouch, it was simply because he didn't like playing the piano. It's suggested that the speaker is agnostic, as he questions whether there is a heaven, "if there's a heaven, that's (Miss Crouch's) address", this also shows that the speaker wishes the best for Miss Crouch and genuinely believes she was a good person.
The speaker describes the ways he thought Miss Crouch felt about music, he seems to admire her passion and find it intriguing, perhaps because he didn't feel that way about music so to see somebody else feel so strongly about it could be quite fascinating to the speaker. The speaker "observed" Miss Crouch at a "romantic Moiseiwitsch concert" and saw that she was "thrilled", her eyes were "raptly shut" and it was like "the music was making love" to her. This shows the passion Miss Crouch felt for music and the intense effect it had on her.
The final stanza links with the first, where the speaker says that now Miss Crouch is dead, she belongs in heaven for in the final stanza the speaker imagines her rising into the sky and entering heaven. The speaker says that Miss Crouch would go up into heaven "playing the piano", emphasising how much music meant to the lady, because if it was possible, not even at death would she be parted from it. The speaker suggests that Miss Crouch's passion for music is eternal.
Larkin poems which I feel links best with this poem is 'Broadcast' because of the passion for music expressed, as well as the admiration of a particular person in both poems. A contrast with many of Larkin's poems is that Abse in this poem has described heaven, whereas Larkin seems to express the attitude that there is definitely nothing after death. Also I can see a link between Larkin's 'Send No Money' and this poem as in both poems the speaker feels a sense of regret of something they had done in their youth. Larkin's poem 'For Sidney Bechet' is similar to this poem as well because the speakers of both poems show admiration for the musician the poems are about.
Musical Moments - His Last Piano Lesson (1933)
'Poet, be seated at the piano.' - Wallace Stevens
When, after tea,
(Germany still six million
miles away) Miss Crouch,
the upright piano teacher,
knocks at the front door
the boys at the back door.
Numbly bored with scales
nimbly scales the wall
and hearing in the park
the pointless cries of children,
joins butter-fingered Jack
and his high-flung tennis ball.
There backslangs
and jabberwocks,
swaps acid-drops for bull's-eyes,
Hammond for Hobbs,
and one pocket-aged
PK chewing gum --
till the park-keeper comes
stamping the gravel path,
blowing his whistle,
making the sparrows fly
from their scattered park bench crumbs
(their little noise
the shaking of umbrellas).
Back home, downstairs,
the piano-lid's closed,
a coffin of music,
Their war-faces, their big thumbs.
Commentary...
The quote Abse has chosen to precede this poem, 'Poet, be seated at the piano.' I think explains the rest of the poem well. It's suggesting that the speaker's art is poetry, not music, therefore the speaker feels he shouldn't be placed at a piano because that's not his passion, so sitting at a piano feels wrong to him and is something he doesn't enjoy. Throughout the poem the reader gets the impression that the speaker feels his piano lessons are more of a chore than an enjoyment.
It seems ironic that the speaker's piano teacher was called "Miss Crouch" when she was "upright", perhaps the speaker uses this paradox to show how he is a poet and pianos are for musicians so therefore he shouldn't have to play piano. The "boys at the back door" and the piano teacher at the "front door" shows how the speaker felt torn between what he had to do (piano lessons) and what he wanted to do (play outside with his friends). It's made clear that the speaker doesn't like his piano lessons, as he was "numbly bored" showing he didn't have the slightest interest in playing the piano.
The third and fourth stanza consist of the speaker describing what he'd be missing out on outside where his friends are while he was indoors having piano lessons. There's the "park", "pointless cries of children", "backslangs and jabberwocks", and swapping sweets and toys with each other. This fun is then put to a stop by the "park keeper". As well as the title being 'His Last Piano Lesson', we can tell that this poem is about the boy choosing to end his piano lessons and instead playing out with his friends because "back home, downstairs, the piano-lid's closed". There was "a coffin of music" inside the piano suggesting that once the speaker's piano lessons were over, music didn't mean anything to his life anymore. This contrasts vastly with the way music is expressed in Larkin's poems as he seems to have a great connection with music, for example in 'Broadcast', 'Reference Back' and 'Love Songs in Age'. Also the the quote "a coffin of music" could be metaphorical for how the speaker's piano lessons made him feel - trapped.
This poem also has a theme of the speaker choosing to against what is expected of him. This theme is also seen in some of Larkin's poems, including 'Dockery and Son', 'Self's the Man' and 'Mr Bleaney'.
The poem...
Only yesterday while walking on Ogmore cliffs
one listless sheep gave me the yellow eye.
Its jaws moved sideways, munching over and over.
The same old grass. Same old flavour.
I strolled inland and saw the big brown horse
in Lol's sloping field. It stood utterly still.
When I returned it hadn't moved an inch.
It must have been as bored as any statue.
And here's pretty Miss next to me, motionless.
She'll sit in Row G unawakened by
the conductor's sudden convulsion till
the very last note like a Prince's kiss.
And how's your life? Static too? Do you wait,
as I do, numb, for something to happen
until it happens? If so, join the queue.
It stretches all the way to the Old People's Home.
I'm thinking all this, I mean about the sheep
and the horse, about you and me
as I pretend to listen to Klump's new free-form
yawn-fecund 'Machine of Dissonances'.
What else can I do except try not to cough
while my cat back home squats in my chair
unmolested, deigning to blink now and then -
at the soundless blank TV screen? I wish
I was there, staring through the garden window
at the pear tree blossoming a masquerade
of now, an epiphany. No wonder now
Miss is clapping too and someone shouts 'Bravo.'
Commentary...
While walking along Ogmore cliffs, the speaker noticed a "listless sheep" with its jaws moving "sideways", "munching over and over" on "the same old grass" with the "same old flavour". This could be metaphorical for the lack of enthusiasm in people for change, they'd rather do the same thing everyday, perhaps because doing something different can be scary. The sheep's jaw moving "sideways" could be the speaker metaphorically suggesting that if we never allow change in our life then we will never move forward/progress in life, instead we'll just move side to side doing the same thing. The second stanza continues to describe the sedentary lifestyle of the animals the speaker sees on his walk which could again be metaphorical for how people often stick to the same routine of life or aim for it, typically of being born, childhood, falling in love, getting a good job, buying a house, getting married, have children, dying and then the cycle begins again with the children. The horse was as "bored as any statue", the statue could suggest that often people observe other people's lives and watch the world pass by without realising their life is also going by.
The third stanza shifts to the "pretty Miss" at the concert, she too is sitting "motionless" waiting for something to happen. However, she is "unawakened by the conductor's sudden convulsion" which is portrayed by the speaker as quite dramatic, this suggests that often people are living life waiting for something exciting and big to happen, but when the opportunity arises for it to happen, because it may not happen in the expected way, it's missed. The speaker may also be suggesting that people should appreciate the more simple things in life, that to be happy we may not have the best of everything in life, we should just make the best of everything we do have. The speaker says that to wait for "something to happen until it happens" you''ll be waiting all the way to the "Old People's Home", implying that we'll die before things happen if we just wait for them to happen without actively doing something to make it happen. I think the speaker is suggesting that for positive life changes to happen, the individual has to make a change in some way.
From within the final stanza the reader knows that the speaker would rather be at home with his cat and "staring through the garden window" than at the concert. Him preferring to be alone in his house than at the concert with other people suggests that in this poem there is a theme of being content alone which links to Larkin's poems 'Here' especially and 'The Importance of Elsewhere'. Also, I think because the speaker wishing to be at his house wouldn't be progressing in his life by doing so, but staying still and the woman at the concert was "motionless" suggests that a lot of the things we do to relax aren't going to make our lives progress, but maybe that's okay. Maybe it's not a waste of time to not actively do anything if the time spent is enjoyed.
Larkin poem's which I think this poem links best with are 'Here' and 'The Importance of Elsewhere' because of the speaker appreciating being alone and realising that aloneness doesn't always have to result in loneliness. Also, 'Broadcast' and 'Reference Back because of the theme of music. Also, I think this poem links quite well to 'The Whitsun Weddings' because the speaker seems content with observing the world pass by.
The poem...
It sailed across the startled town,
over chapels, over chimney-pots,
wind-blown above a block of flats
before it floated down.
Oddly, it landed where I stood,
and finding's keeping, as you know.
I breathed on it, I polished it,
till it shone like living blood.
It was my shame, it was my joy,
it brought me notoriety.
From all of Wales the rude boys came,
it ceased to be a toy.
I heard girls of Cardiff sigh
when my balloon, my red balloon,
soared higher like a happiness
towards the dark blue sky.
Nine months since, have I boasted of
my unique, my only precious;
but to no one dare I show it now
however long they swear their love.
'It's a Jew's balloon,' my best friend cried,
'stained with our dear Lord's blood.'
'That I'm a Jew is true,' I said,
said I, 'that cannot be denied.'
'What relevance?' I asked, surprised.
'what's religion to do with this?'
'Your red balloon's a Jew's balloon,
let's get it circumcised.'
Then some boys laughed and some boys cursed,
some unsheathed their dirty knives;
some lunged, some clawed at my balloon,
but still it would not burst.
They bled my nose, they cut my eye,
half conscious in the street I heard,
'Give up, give up your red balloon.'
I don't know exactly why.
Father, bolt the door, turn the key,
lest those sad, brash boys return
to insult my faith and steal
my red balloon from me.
Commentary...
This poem is about the speaker's beliefs of Judaism and how they increase with time, despite other people's anti-semitism. The "red balloon" is symbolic of this. The symbol for the speaker's religion being a balloon could suggest that some people's beliefs in their religion are very fragile and can easily be changed by society's interferences. However, I get the impression that because the boy's balloon is "red" which is a very powerful and bright colour, that he has very strong Jewish beliefs and is passionate about his religion.
The red balloon "sailed across the startled town" suggesting that the town was shocked and almost frightened at the concept of Judaism. The balloon "floated down" and the speaker says "oddly, it landed where I stood", as well as this referring to how the balloon landed at the boy's feet, it made me of think of how Jew's don't decide to be Jew's, it's something they have no control over, just like how the boy had no control of where the balloon landed and it came to him, like Judaism did.
The boy kept the balloon as "finding's keeping", just like how he's kept his religion. The way the boy cared for the balloon by the way he "polished" and "breathed" shows how not only did he keep his religion and balloon, he flaunted it, and had pride in it. The speaker's balloon "shone like living blood", this could show an increasing obsession with his balloon and passion for his religion. I think this because "blood" is a necessity to live, suggesting a need for Judaism in the speaker's life. The speaker's passion for his religion could also be shown through it shining like "blood" by suggesting that he would draw blood for his religion and fight for it. Furthermore, the speaker could be saying how Judaism runs in his family's "blood".
The speaker's religion and balloon is his "joy", however they're also his "shame" and bring him "notoriety". One reason why the speaker may have presented his balloon and religion to mean equally as much to him may, be because to treasure and show extreme pride in a balloon is obviously quite unusual and would make a person stand out from others. Perhaps the speaker feels like the discrimination and prejudice against him for being a Jew is the same as it would be for taking the mickey out of somebody for treasuring something petty like a balloon, people don't understand that there's meaning behind it. Whereas the difference is that Judaism isn't something as simple and meaningless as a balloon, it holds lots of meaning and because of this the speaker cannot understand why he is being discriminated for it. As well as this, maybe the speaker is suggesting that Judaism should be celebrated because balloons are used to celebrate. If it wasn't for anti-semitism, then the speaker wouldn't feel "shame" or be notorious because of being Jew, showing that his inner feelings and thoughts about Judaism is that it brings him "joy". Boys came from "all of Wales" to discriminate the speaker about his religion/balloon, suggesting that Judaism was unusual at that time in Wales? His religion/balloon "ceased to be a toy", suggesting that because of the anti-semitism, the speaker wasn't able to simply enjoy living with his religion, his religion brought him joy and struggle at the same time.
In the fourth stanza, the boys lets go of his balloon, it "soared higher...towards the dark blue sky". However despite letting go of his balloon, the speaker hasn't let go of his religion, he just keeps quiet about it. This suggests that the balloon was a physical way of showing the boy's Judaism and because the boy's beliefs still remain just as "precious" to him when he no longer has the balloon it shows how just because you cannot always see something, it doesn't mean it isn't there. The rising of the balloon could also be metaphorical for the speaker overcoming and rising above the anti-semitism, maybe metaphorically he goes with it. He is no longer going to let others around him make him feel shameful for being a Jew.
By the speaker frankly saying "that I'm a Jew is true" to somebody suggests that he is much more confident and shameless about his religion. When the speaker's friend is saying how the red balloon is a "Jew's balloon", he says he should get it "circumcised", I think the speaker may be suggesting that the general public know very few things about Judaism, and one of the few things they do know about it is that male Jews often get circumcised. However, obviously it's impossible for a balloon to be circumcised, suggesting the friend had very little knowledge about it. I think this emphasises an ignorance in outsider's knowledge of Judaism and implying they will jump to brash conclusions without knowing enough information.
In the last three stanzas of the poem, there is quite a bit of violence presented against Judaism. Some boys "unsheathed their dirty knives...lunged...clawed" at the speaker's balloon, suggesting they were violently trying to take his religion away from him. However his balloon "would not burst", suggesting that his faith is too strong for anti-semitism to break it, he will never give up on Judaism. The speaker was then beaten up, "they bled my nose", "cut my eye", left "half conscious", this reemphasises how he will never give up on being a Jew and shows the reader how disgusting and awful the discrimination against Jews was. The reference to the speaker's nose could be to do with the stereotype of Jews that they have a distint, long nose. After being beaten up, the speaker still didn't "know why" people wanted him to give up on Judaism. Why would he know why? There's no legitimate and fair reason to try and stop someone from sticking to their beliefs (in this case Judaism) if they're not doing any harm.
In the final stanza of the poem, the speaker is trying to escape those that discriminate against his religion and try and take it away from him. He turns to "Father" for help. This could mean his own father or God. The speaker says to "bolt the door, turn the key", I think this may be referring to a coffin, suggesting that the speaker would rather die than have his religion taken away from him. Even if this wasn't referring to a coffin, the speaker is still being isolated.
A Larkin poem which I think links to this poem is 'Water' in the sense that it's about religion. I also think that Mr Bleaney links to this poem because of the theme of isolation and Dockery and Son because the speaker is presented as noticeably different to those around them.
The title being 'Love Songs in Age' instantly suggests that this poem is going to include a theme of time. The speaker's thoughts are triggered by thinking about a woman in "widowhood" with her old song books full of love songs.
The woman kept her songs as they "kept so little space", suggesting she wouldn't have kept them if they took more space, perhaps they didn't mean much to her anymore, or the opposite, that she didn't want to think about them anymore but couldn't face getting rid of them because they had a sentimental value."The covers pleased her" suggesting that it is only the covers of the songs that please her now, not the actual songs, suggesting maybe a disappointment. The song books were "bleached from lying in a sunny place", "marked in circles by a vase of water", "mended" and "coloured, by her daughter". This shows that the books were forgotten about and not cared for, they had become part of the furniture. However, the neglect of the books wasn't purposely done, suggesting that in life some things just decay with 'age'. I think from within the first stanza there are suggestions that the song books represent more than just songs, I think at this point we can tell that maybe they represent a realisation of something, "they waited, till, in widowhood", suggesting that the books would wait until the woman was lonely and no longer as busy as she was before and then force her to reflect back on her life and the love songs and how they matched up to her own life perhaps. Also, the personification of "waitied" suggests them and everything they mean were going to jump out at the woman, suggesting that when she opened them up again she would be really affected, maybe they held a lot of her past.
The woman "relearned" the songs again, "how each frank submissive chord had ushered in". This suggests that she played the songs naturally and effortlessly but also played each note to the exact way it was supposed to sound, suggesting she was very connected to the music, like it was a part of her. However, in contrast to this the "hyphenated" words are referring to when a word is hyphenated over different notes in a songbook, but could also suggest that something is broken, possibly referring to love and heartbreak. Playing the music brings the "unfailing sense of being young", this could imply a sense of nostalgia, but also that playing the music brings life and awakens people like the "spring-woken tree". The spring tree could suggest that playing the music gave the woman hope and optimism for her future, possibly to do with hope for her love life as well. The "certainty of time laid up in store" when playing the music, when this is in context with the spring woken tree and being young I think that it suggests that when young, people can often feel very positive and motivated for their future, they're almost certain of what their whole life is going to involve. However, in reality, that is not the case as a lot of the time we can make life plans and decide what we want our future to be like, but what life really is is what happens while we're making these plans. This idea reminds me of another of Larkin's poems, 'Dockery and Son', suggesting that our life is determined by the choices we make, but often these choices aren't consciously made.
In the songs, there is a "glare of that much-mentioned brilliance, love", the "glare" could be suggesting that love is blinding, that when in love or wishing to be in love, they lose sight of the other things in life which they could appreciate. The "glare" could also suggest that love is mentioned too much in the songs, that it's painful, the word glare suggests a physical pain however I think it's more likely to mean an emotional pain. Perhaps the mention of love could cause pain for people who are alone and want to be in love, or maybe for people who have lost their partners. The speaker says that love has a "bright incipience (that is) sailing above", suggesting that the idea of love is heavenly. Love is "promising to solve, and satisfy, and set unchangeably in order", suggesting that love songs promise that love will solve everything in life and make everything perfect. However, the woman "pile(s) (the songbooks) back" and cries as love "had not done so then, and could not now". This is saying that love doesn't solve everything and it never will, the promises are broken. Perhaps the reason for the woman's loss of faith in love and it being able to solve everything is because she is a widow and is feeling heartbroken, whereas if she never loved her husband then she wouldn't feel heartbroken. I don't think this is suggest that love is a bad thing, just that with love there also comes sadness and it can't solve all the problems in a person's life, it may ease them or it could create problems and maybe the speaker is suggesting that this is sometimes forgotten. The idea that love doesn't solve everything in a person's life reminds me of 'An Arundel Tomb', "nothing cures".
'Broadcast' is a poem that Larkin wrote for Maeve Brennan while he knew she was at the City Hall watching the BBC Symphony Orchestra, he listened to it at the same time on the radio. I think this poem is about both a love for Maeve and music.
Larkin captures the sounds he hears with words. The audience at the Symphony Orchestra are making "giant whisperings" and are "coughing" whilst waiting for the music to begin, Larkin mentioning this suggests that he takes notice and appreciates every slight sound he hears as he's waiting to hear the orchestra, it may also suggest he's impatient because he just wants the music to begin. When the music begins it's "sudden", suggesting that it has a lot of power on the listeners because whenever it's heard it comes as a shock even if they were waiting for it. The use of onomatopoeia on the "scuttle on the drum" allows the reader to imagine hearing the sounds Larkin was, helping to share the same experience. The "sudden scuttle" is also alliteration which again helps to create sounds. The "snivelling of the violins" personifies them, saying they're crying, it being a snivel suggests that the sound the violins are making is quite gentle and soft. Larkin thinks of Maeve's "face among all those faces" in the audience at the orchestra, this could suggest that Larkin felt strongly about her because the music which he appears to appreciate, reminds him of her. Also, it may be significant that despite all of the different instruments playing at the orchestra that Larkin would have been hearing, he still has space in his mind to think about Maeve's face. Larkin implies that the music and Maeve are both "beautiful and devout", suggesting that his love for them are equal and he feels committed to them both, perhaps he shares the love of the music with Maeve because she loves it and he loves what she loves, or he may have just loved the music despite her. The music is in "cascades", suggesting it flows beautifully like a waterfall does and perhaps the speaker feels this same way about Maeve. While the speaker is listening to the music on the radio, he sees in his house the woman's "slightly-outmoded shoes", this suggests the pair are close as they have a private joke and her shoes are in his house so they must spend time together. However, if this poem is about the love for this woman as well as music, I get the impression she doesn't feel the same way about him as he does her. I think this particularly in the last half of the poem. It "goes quickly dark" in the orchestra, this could be a metaphor for how the speaker may not understand/be in the dark suddenly about the pair's relationship, perhaps the relationship suddenly doesn't work out and the speaker doesn't understand why. It seems strange that these two people who are supposedly close, who both enjoy the same music are not there together at the Orchestra, but are still both listening to it, it may imply that maybe there has been an argument between them. The "withering leaves on half-emptied trees" could suggest that there is a gradual decay in the relationship between the speaker and the woman. Perhaps this link to do with Autumn and the seasons could suggest that the speaker's bad luck in relationships is like a cycle, suggesting that his relationships will never last. The "rabid storms of chording", in the musical instruments could metaphorically be suggesting that there was anger between the speaker and the woman, and this "overpower(s)" the speaker's mind. The speaker feels "shamelessly", suggesting that if he does done something wrong in the relationship, he doesn't at all feel shame, perhaps this could be partly why the relationship may have not worked out. Despite this, the "cut-off shout" at the end of the music, again reminds him of the woman, it being cut-off suggests that the pair have have had their final words with each other and they may not see each other again. This makes the speaker feel "desperate" for the woman, suggesting that he wants to have her in his life but can't.
Overall, I think this poem tells the story of how music can allow people to think about things and can tell a story that may have not been able to be told and expressed as well in another way. The poem also expresses how in a relationship, after an argument or a fall out, one or both partners could really regret what's happened and feel "desperate" to have the other person back and sort things out, perhaps because they've realised their love for each other. This idea reminds me of Dannie Abse's 'A Scene from Married Life'. Also, the idea about not being able to be with the person you want to be with reminds of Larkin's 'Wild Oats' and 'Postcard to His Wife' by Dannie Abse. However, despite the similarities, 'Wild Oats' and 'Postcard to His Wife' are still very different poems to each other.
The poem...
That unseasonable July in Ogmore
nothing was happening until it happened,
the commuters trapped in their stuffy office block;
the sea slow, the Monday beach sullen, empty,
and I, thinking of the squabble with my wife:
fast barbed words that made the other squirm
and fed flushed indignation, verbal revenge -
a dead bird eaten by the early worm.
I piled up my usual clothes and daps tidily
on a convenient boulder brooding nearby
and, troubled, saw the far dank confusion of
the sea and sky in resentful wedlock.
A mile out the monstrous Tusker Rock crammed
with ghosts and psychopomps raised black fangs.
So many boats it had torn asunder. Seagulls
drifted above it like lost thoughts of the damned.
Soon, during the fussy sea, I entered
a B movie to enact my great climatic scene.
(After I sank - weep for me - the credits would come up,
then the screen, appropriately, would go blank.)
I swivelled for a last winsome longshot, saw
on the high cliff my wife dressed in blue and all
the best of the world true and desirable.
With surrendering waves I crawled to the shore.
Our own cold wars during the real Cold War
were few and brief. Sulky, I'd linger at my desk
but children's cries were mightier than the pen.
And sweet the armistice, each kiss, and then...
Commentary...
This poem is about the speaker and his wife having an argument and then making up. The month of "July" being mentioned tells the reader that the poem is set in summer, the "Monday beach sullen" and the "stuffy office block" are showing how on the weekend families would typically have fun on the beach but then on Monday, people have to return to work and face reality where the beach is left "empty". This suggests that the speaker dislikes the contrast between the happiness and excitement of the weekend where "nothing was happening until it happened" compared to the mundanity of work Monday-Friday, the stresses of work can sometimes have a negative affect on home life. Also, the suggestion that the weekend is much better than the week could imply that the greatness of the weekends make the week worth it. This idea could be linked to marriage as the positive parts of marriage weigh out the negative and make the marriage worthwhile.
The speaker describes the "squabble" with his wife saying they used "fast barbed words", suggesting that they said hurtful things to one another and not necessarily meaning them, they were said more for the reason of getting "revenge". The speaker and his wife were "squirm(ing) at one another's words, showing how hurtful they were and suggesting that inside they actually loved each other and don't enjoy hurting each other. I think this story told by the speaker is a situation everyone can relate to - saying hurtful things which you don't mean in an argument with somebody you love but then at the end of the day you would hate for the hurtful words which held no meaning, said in the heat of the argument to make a permanent affect on the relationship. I think how Abse has used a situation that occurs in everyone's lives helps the reader relate to the poem, Larkin does this in a similar way by discussing everyday events and the speaker's feelings about what he observes, what's discussed include themes such as love, death and loss which will affect everyone's lives.
The speaker "piled up (his) usual clothes" "nearby", this suggests that he would leave the marital home to make a point because of their argument, however stayed "nearby" because realistically the only place he wanted to be was home with his wife and sort their argument out. The speaker saw "confusion" in the "sea and sky" that were in "resentful wedlock". This personification could be metaphorical for how when a married couple argue, they do feel resentful. However, the sea and sky are always together and are meant to be together, just like the speaker and his wife. Being together all the time however, could lead to a couple being resentful towards each other sometimes, perhaps the speaker is suggesting that this is normal in a relationship and the love him and his wife share is everlasting despite their arguments.
The "Tusker Rock" that the speaker was looking at seems cursed, being "crammed with ghosts and psychopomps raised black fangs". This suggests that the rock was deathly. The rock had "torn asunder" boats and the "seagulls drifted above it like lost thoughts of the damned", this could possibly be suggesting that metaphorically, visiting and dwelling on this cursed place (arguments) can damage the marriage forever, instead couples should resolve their problems and move forward rather than letting them be the death of the relationship. I think perhaps the speaker was at this point dwelling on his annoyance about the argument with his wife, as he "entered a B movie to enact (his) great climatic scene", suggesting that his feelings about it felt so strong and he was thinking about it to such an extent it felt like he was playing a part in a movie. The speaker wanted people to "weep for" him, implying that for that moment he wanted to dwell on the argument and wanted others to understand and share his sadness about it.
After dwelling on the argument between him and his wife, the speaker sees his "wife dressed in blue and all the best of the world true and desirable", suggesting he had suddenly realised the greatness of his wife and that their love for each other is too true and strong for an argument to spoil their marriage. As well as this, the speaker had the realisation that this "desirable" and the "best of the world" person was actually his wife and I think this helped him put things into perspective and made him appreciate his wife even more. The personified "surrendering waves" of the sea could be metaphorical for how the speaker gave up being annoyed and realised he couldn't stay away for any longer, perhaps because staying angry at somebody you love for a long time can be difficult and he realised what's most important and that is the couple's love for one another. The speaker "crawled" to the shore suggesting that he was seeking forgiveness from his wife and suggests a desperation in him that he needs his wife and that is more important to him than anything else.
In the final stanza, the speaker says that him and his wife had their own "cold wars during the real Cold War" and suggested that "children's cries were mightier" than their arguments, this shows how their arguments were meaningless and insignificant in relation to the rest of the world. The "armistice" was "sweet" between the couple, suggesting that they have realised how much they love each other and how much they value their marriage so as a result of their argument, they feel even closer and stronger together than before. I get the impression that "each kiss, and then..." means that the couple start to appreciate and treasure "each kiss" they have after their argument, like they would have done more when their relationship began. I suppose when a couple have been together for a lifetime they may take simple things such as kisses for granted but after their argument each kiss is special to the couple. Perhaps because they've realised what it's like to temporarily lose the other one which made them appreciate each other more. The "and then..." is open to several interpretations, it following "kiss" and there being "..." suggests that their make up lead to sex, a way of feeling together as one again and expressing their love and feelings to each other. However, "and then..." could also suggest that the story told in the poem is like a cycle because the ellipses suggests it is continuous, as the couple will probably have arguments again. The title being 'A Scene from Married Life' tells the reader that arguments and then making up in marriage is expected for every healthy marriage, showing that it is okay to argue and shows how no marriage is perfect. The title of the poem is generalised and just shows that arguments are just one "scene from married life", they don't need to take over as the love and the great parts of the marriage make the silly bad things worth while.
One Larkin poem which this Abse poem made me think of was 'Talking in Bed' as it shows the struggles of relationships, yet at the end of the day they still choose to be in bed together, suggesting that in both poems, relationships can have their struggles but can still exist as a happy and loving relationship because if the love is strong enough then the couple should be able to overcome the relationship's struggles together and hopefully come out stronger the other side.
