In this second chat about Philip Larkin I suggest that some poems might not be as bleak as they seem at first If you wish, You can encourage me with coffee and cake here www.buymeacoffee.com/malcolmg...
Funnily enough Larkin's most famously bleak poem "Aubade" tends to cheer me, not because of any underlying hope in its subject matter, but because it is so brilliantly written. It says so many things we have all felt, or almost felt, so succinctly and memorably that you almost hear the bells of recognition ringing in your head as you read it. And of course hearing someone else being miserable is always good for making you think you're not so badly off yourself after all!
Thank you for this. I first came across Larkin back in college, but a Christian friend of mine from the church I went to while there kept making me feel guilty for reading him until I finally stopped. I never quite understood his rationale. I don't think I still have that copy, but I'll have to get another soon.
Always a pleasure to hear you read and explain poetry. Thankful for your kindness and time spent with us. Take care,locally sourced honey is a good cure all and may help you. I suffered post covid fatigue and find a nap when possible greatly restorative. You are such a joy to listen to .
Talking in Bed could also be an echo of the spiritual dryness that arises between a person and God. Love that was once open and attentive, but has gone awry. Yet the fact that they lie together still suggests the possibility that the relationship can be renewed. Perhaps one brings to this poem one’s own struggle. Poets like Larkin remind us that there is space for those who are what I call God’s most loyal opposition
lovely. Both poems about the secret wonders that await us buried beneath Winter remind me of what they say about stones and the mineral kingdom. They are the first to hear the Sun's light returning after Winter solstice because they are so quiet. ;)
Dear Malcolm I Just wanted to thank you for your RU-vid Spells in the Library . I really do enjoy them , and always look forward to what you have to share next .
Good to hear you distinguish the poet from the man. Bleakness? I do not find Larkin’s poetry bleak. Larkin’s poetry seems honest, transcendental, full of life’s questions, indecisions, choices and dilemmas but not bleak. Cathartic in essence, full of release and relief, empathetic of the human condition and inherent struggles of living. ‘Give me your arm’ Dr Larkin (and Malcolm), thankyou for your spirit in this ‘frail travelling’ coincidence.
I discovered Larkin through the book HISTORY OF THE WORLD 10 AND A HALF CHAPTERS BY Julien Barnes,,, the poem is the Arundel tomo,,,, but Malcom thanks love what you do 😂
'If nature did not take delight in blood, She would have made more easy ways to good.' The uncaring nature of nature has been with us for a while. With some theologians seeming to suggest that god must be as appalled by it as we are. More recently On Dover Beach , while not completely without hope, is not exactly life affirming, and it all over Hardy.
Thank you Fr Malcolm. This is a deeply nourishing reflection. Take care of yourself. You matter a great deal and not just for the tremendous work you are doing!
I always took a more neutral interpretation on "First Sight." The lines "hidden round them, waiting too" could refer to things other than fresh Spring grass and natural beauty. Predators and hardships of farm-life come to mind, for instance. "Earth's immeasurable surprise" and "utterly unlike the snow" also portend nothing specifically good or specifically bad.
'Church Going' is beautiful. As a Hull native, the poem 'Here' resonates. The familiar and local reveal the eternal. You are right. He is a master of form.
Beautiful poems! Lambs? Are they not like roses, impossible to invoke without invoking the archetypal symbol (Christ)? Either I read, or someone sent me, this quote from Larkin: "Deprivation is for me what daffodils were for Wordsworth." This sounds pretty ascetic to me! (The courageous doctors of the FLCCC recommend intermittent fasting to clear lingering effects of both vaccination and covid, in case that's what's affecting you. In any case, feel better!) 🐑
