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.
