Change of Tack
I'm going to change the tack of the blog for a while, and start a series of posts about other poets.
The reason?
Blogger and 'attempting poem-maker' Katy Murr's brief comment about Philip Larkin's minor poem 'Days' got me thinking - and frankly I rather enjoyed the process. More of that in a moment. First, here is Larkin's poem - and underneath Katy's point:
By simplistically raising the notion of 'happy days', the first stanza is a whimsical, abstract, pleasant line of thought about the nature of life. So it's a question, a puzzle. The "Ah" is a more concrete moment from that life, a more real expression, a sort little moment of little realisation that we all experience each day. But crucially here, a falsely comforting one, because it ushers in the realisation of impending death. This operates to destroy the previous stanza's limited daydream, by actually being a concrete part of the life the first stanza supposes to summarize. This change of tone and focus is also reflected rhythmically: it's the first line with a pause after the first syllable. (In some ways this rhythmical device is not atypical of Larkin, as he often wedges incidental words - typically images too - in amongst his poems to make them scan; a very simple but effective technique.)
If that's a bit much for you, I can put it another way. Try reading the poem with the "Ah," omitted: you'll find it much colder I think. The emphasis then rests more on "Solving that question" - an abstracted thing to do - rather than on the answer to the question itself.
Well, if you liked this little preamble, I'll post up over the next couple of days more on Larkin. And if you didn't, well, the comments are still open to you as well.
The reason?
Blogger and 'attempting poem-maker' Katy Murr's brief comment about Philip Larkin's minor poem 'Days' got me thinking - and frankly I rather enjoyed the process. More of that in a moment. First, here is Larkin's poem - and underneath Katy's point:
DaysMy reponse was that I rather like the "Ah," my reasoning as follows.
What are days for?
Days are where we live.
They come, they wake us
Time and time over.
They are to be happy in:
Where can we live but days?
Ah, solving that question
Brings the priest and the doctor
In their long coats
Running over the fields.
Philip Larkin
---
The first stanza seems stronger: I don't like the 'Ah,' which niggles at the rest of that stanza for me. But, arguably the images of the second stanza are needed to ground the poem, give the reader some tether?
By simplistically raising the notion of 'happy days', the first stanza is a whimsical, abstract, pleasant line of thought about the nature of life. So it's a question, a puzzle. The "Ah" is a more concrete moment from that life, a more real expression, a sort little moment of little realisation that we all experience each day. But crucially here, a falsely comforting one, because it ushers in the realisation of impending death. This operates to destroy the previous stanza's limited daydream, by actually being a concrete part of the life the first stanza supposes to summarize. This change of tone and focus is also reflected rhythmically: it's the first line with a pause after the first syllable. (In some ways this rhythmical device is not atypical of Larkin, as he often wedges incidental words - typically images too - in amongst his poems to make them scan; a very simple but effective technique.)
If that's a bit much for you, I can put it another way. Try reading the poem with the "Ah," omitted: you'll find it much colder I think. The emphasis then rests more on "Solving that question" - an abstracted thing to do - rather than on the answer to the question itself.
Well, if you liked this little preamble, I'll post up over the next couple of days more on Larkin. And if you didn't, well, the comments are still open to you as well.
posted by Tom Chivers at 2:39 PM
7 Comments:
Hello!
I was going to reply to you on my blog, but seeing as you have copied this to here, and I am now on here, I may as well reply here!
I do think it is a fantastic idea, because 1) I like Larkin, but don't know much about him. 2) You seem to know more about him, and have read more generally, so I expect I shall learn things, and 3) I get to blah about Larkin with other people!
So, the poem...
I now see the importance of the 'Ah', the movement from the whimsical to the concrete reality. It's very helpful to read your comments; particularly what you say about the 'Ah' changing the rhythm. I'd noticed it, but not really thought of it as a deliberate transition.
As to the order, no: I've only read Larkin's work as the collected poems, which are ordered chronologically, like yours. Do *you* know which one it was opposite? (I couldn't quite decide whether you were just holding back with the info, or whether you actually didn't know yourself!) Why do you think he chooses to have them 'running over the fields'? The running, I can understand in a way: an urgency to resolve a question which most of us, at some point, toll with... but with 'the fields', I fail to see a link!
I don't know - I wouldn't be able to say which are his 'best'. That depends what you personally look for...? 'Days' is a poem which haunts me, and which I've used to base some art around, and incorporate into art (I did a project based on 'Time'), which is probably why it's quite 'solidified' in my memory. Which are your favourite poems of Larkin's?
Hi!
It wasn't a rhetorical question, no: I don't know which it was next to. There is a list at the back of the order, but not which was on the left, which on the right, which over the page.
As for running over the fields: I don't know why he chose that image. I have a hunch fields come up more than once in terms of death in Larkin, but I'm not sure. What's the alternative? One on a bicycle, the other in an ambulance?! It seems a very effective, vivid image to me. Given Larkin drafted slowly, it'd be interesting to know how long that image was in the poem for, if it had any predecessors.
As for best - well, yes, ok, it's a bit subjective. But anyhow, his best poems for me are the longer ones that are a bit like scenes at either end of a novel, that also show his under-rated technique, and powers of description.
nice traipsing off the track, tommy tom! i did try reading without the "ah," and noticed the marked difference. you're right about whimsy. a writer has the license to become much more indulgent.
i'll sit back a bit and read more of this stuff from you, if you don't mind.
Hello deary. Help your self, of course.
i've always been rather partial to "ah" and "o" or "oh" :)it always feels warm and passionate to me.
Semi-word noises are great.
You know if Homer Simpson had written that poem, the second stanza would begin with 'Doh'.
lol that reminds me of an episode where homer finds a remedy he thinks will help him lose weight and eat healthy foods-except he has received the wrong *was it a tape?* via mail-one to improve vocab. so suddenly he begins to banter in olde english. very funny. later he realises and goes to back to his old self, asking marge: where thingie scoop food? (a spoon):)this comment is radically ill placed, i know.
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