Such a beautiful essay. Erudite, analytical, but above all, deeply personal. You have a great gift for connecting those elements. Very sorry I missed it the first time! I’m glad you reposted it.
Thank you for the introduction to this poem. At the time you were reading Larkin, I think he was overlooked in the States. But I did share your love of Plath, Wright, Bly, and others you’ve mentioned. As for books as “stuff” I wish I could say the same. Unfortunately, books are my structural walls; without them, my life would collapse. Or not. I’m afraid to find out.
Thank you for your beautiful comments, Mary. Structural walls! Please leave those books where they are! 😊 I think Larkin doesn't travel that well, artistically speaking. Though Robert Lowell admired him, I believe.
Jeffrey, this wonderful post was my introduction to the poem and to you. I look forward to revisiting it. When my eye fell on the wheat metaphor, I thought of Auden's "The crowds upon the pavement/ Were fields of harvest wheat," from his magnificent "As I Walked Out One Evening."
Thank you, Rona, and thank you for that lovely Auden quote. I've got a feeling that Pope has an interesting line about wheat somewhere but I can't recall it just now. Thank you especially for reading my essays over the last year! I truly appreciate your support and also benefit from everything you write.
I traveled the train to visit my parents in the years I went to university. The train I took was expressly meant for daily commuters. Even my minimal luggage was viewed askance if I mistimed my trip to coincide with rush hour.
The commuter trains discouraged eating, but I completely relate to not liking to eat in front of strangers. My maternal grandfather was raised by a upper middle class English mother. His reluctance to eat in front of others or even use public toilets seems to have been genetically inherited by a number of his descendants. Need must, of course, but always with acute discomfort.
This isnt the first time I see you refer to the physical book and how you happened upon it containing the work you’re about to talk about. This type of thing can make one forget her constant struggle with sentimentality in favour of not having too much “stuff” and start a personal library 😪
A beautiful essay. I am captivated by the weaving of your life into the poem, as I have a relationship to poetry that transports me to when I first read it. You convey bittersweet so well.
I am fascinated by Larkin’s views on poetry on the page. I recently prepares a story for a live telling. With a 3-5min time limit I pared the story back on the page but found that spoken I had to add a few linking or contextual words back in. And yet Larkin, like all good poetry, cries to be read aloud and savoured in the mouth.
I’ve not read The Whitsun Weddings before. My favourite (most familiar) Larkin is Churchgoing. [https://www.blueridgejournal.com/poems/pl-church.htm] I encountered it in The World’s Contracted Thus, our school poetry textbook. We never studied the poem but I instantly loved it. After visiting England, and enjoying historical churches, my love only deepened.
What a wonderful post. Your analytical nostalgia makes that poem feel so different - personal and warm - something that I can't normally associate with Larkin. This weekend I shall look out my own bits and bobs of Larkin and pay more attention to form on the page, and thank you for encouraging me to seek them out.
Such a wonderful reflection on a brilliant poem, Jeffrey. I especially like the parts about Milton and Paddington station in your annotations. I’ve been asked by a former student for a short wedding video with poem (in lieu of traveling to Singapore, unfortunately!) - maybe this is it!
Good thing you reported this essay because I had missed it the first time. I love it.
Not being a poetry person, I discovered Larkin only recently, and I love him too - I mean his work, not the man - at least according to what I read about his biography.
I quote from your story:
"But there were other people facing him in the railway carriage, and Larkin, who described himself as a shy young man, felt too embarrassed to eat in front of them. So he stayed hungry and arrived famished. How very English, I hear you say..."
How very Japanese, I'd say. It takes a clueless young Italian like me (some 30 years ago) to eat piping-hot takoyaki on a local train, from Kawasaki to the Tokyo suburbs, my mouth contorting in pain, wondering why everybody was staring at me, slack-jawed.
This is one of my favorite poems, and you discussed it so beautiful and thoroughly. Thank you for this wonderful analysis. It was so lovely how you were able to weave your own life and experiences into this—it made the poem much more vivid.
Thank you, Ramya! I’m so glad to hear that, as someone who loves this poem, you enjoyed this post about it. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!
“Nowhere does a life find better meaning than between the lines of a poem. When life is transient, the poem offers a place from which to muse, gain perspective and even relax in the moment, regardless of where in the world we may be.”
— as usual the whole article was incredibly interesting, but the above passage really stuck out for me as it is such a wonderful summation of poetry’s power. :)
Thank you, Michael! I’m so glad that you picked out those lines. A year after I wrote them, they feel remote from me, but, as I’m currently travelling, I have the same feelings right now.
Your take on this lovely poem was so enjoyable to read, Jeffrey, and makes me nostalgic for long train journeys, and people-watching. Love your connecting of Larkin's travel experiences with your own.
I love the weaving between your life and that of Larkin's poem, especially as this is one I haven't read before - or have possibly forgotten. A truly wonderful essay Jeffrey, thank you so much for your thoughtful reflections.
As before, so again: exhilarating! I still think of this post from the first time, and appreciate the close reading and sharing of insights. I confess I think of Substacks "packed like squares of wheat." Thank you for introducing us to Larkin, Jeffrey!
It seems that Larkin found his perfect profession to go with his speech impediment. What an example of turning a weakness into a strength. And I loved hearing what I have always thought, that poems (and Shakespeare) should be read aloud!
I believe this is my second essay of yours on Larkin, but this time I feel I got to know him better. I've always been a fan of 'the everyday or ordinary man' poems, so this attracts me to his style as well.
And of course, I have enjoyed getting to know you better, too, Jeffrey. Remarkably done!
Thank you, Lani! I'm really glad to hear that you enjoyed this poem by Larkin. It's the kind of poem that can sit with you a long time. And having one's life littered with bits of other people's writings in this way, seems to be how things have gone for me.
I enjoyed this so much Jeffrey. I had never read this poem but now, and especially with your close examination and personal commentary, feel I must explore more Larkin. His social commentary without explicitly damning and in the same breath even celebrating, made my brain do cartwheels. In my mind, I accompanied his poem with painter Andrew Wyeth’s style, pastoral, unfussy, bare, yet intimate.
Thank you, Kimberly, for your kind words and typically perceptive comments. I'm particularly grateful for the pointer to Wyeth in the context of Larkin's poetry. That's an association worth dwelling on.
Such a beautiful essay. Erudite, analytical, but above all, deeply personal. You have a great gift for connecting those elements. Very sorry I missed it the first time! I’m glad you reposted it.
Thank you for the introduction to this poem. At the time you were reading Larkin, I think he was overlooked in the States. But I did share your love of Plath, Wright, Bly, and others you’ve mentioned. As for books as “stuff” I wish I could say the same. Unfortunately, books are my structural walls; without them, my life would collapse. Or not. I’m afraid to find out.
Safe travels. Enjoy your time away.
Thank you for your beautiful comments, Mary. Structural walls! Please leave those books where they are! 😊 I think Larkin doesn't travel that well, artistically speaking. Though Robert Lowell admired him, I believe.
Jeffrey, this wonderful post was my introduction to the poem and to you. I look forward to revisiting it. When my eye fell on the wheat metaphor, I thought of Auden's "The crowds upon the pavement/ Were fields of harvest wheat," from his magnificent "As I Walked Out One Evening."
Thank you, Rona, and thank you for that lovely Auden quote. I've got a feeling that Pope has an interesting line about wheat somewhere but I can't recall it just now. Thank you especially for reading my essays over the last year! I truly appreciate your support and also benefit from everything you write.
I traveled the train to visit my parents in the years I went to university. The train I took was expressly meant for daily commuters. Even my minimal luggage was viewed askance if I mistimed my trip to coincide with rush hour.
The commuter trains discouraged eating, but I completely relate to not liking to eat in front of strangers. My maternal grandfather was raised by a upper middle class English mother. His reluctance to eat in front of others or even use public toilets seems to have been genetically inherited by a number of his descendants. Need must, of course, but always with acute discomfort.
Thank you for sharing those memories, Holly! Journeys by train in Britain can be fraught with hidden social perils, can't they?
This isnt the first time I see you refer to the physical book and how you happened upon it containing the work you’re about to talk about. This type of thing can make one forget her constant struggle with sentimentality in favour of not having too much “stuff” and start a personal library 😪
Beautiful essay, as always!
Thank you, Ani! I don't like having much "stuff" and rarely buy physical books anymore, but I enjoy the ones I have.
A beautiful essay. I am captivated by the weaving of your life into the poem, as I have a relationship to poetry that transports me to when I first read it. You convey bittersweet so well.
I am fascinated by Larkin’s views on poetry on the page. I recently prepares a story for a live telling. With a 3-5min time limit I pared the story back on the page but found that spoken I had to add a few linking or contextual words back in. And yet Larkin, like all good poetry, cries to be read aloud and savoured in the mouth.
I’ve not read The Whitsun Weddings before. My favourite (most familiar) Larkin is Churchgoing. [https://www.blueridgejournal.com/poems/pl-church.htm] I encountered it in The World’s Contracted Thus, our school poetry textbook. We never studied the poem but I instantly loved it. After visiting England, and enjoying historical churches, my love only deepened.
Safe and joyful travels to you.
Thank you so much, Michelle! I'm glad you enjoyed the poem!
What a wonderful post. Your analytical nostalgia makes that poem feel so different - personal and warm - something that I can't normally associate with Larkin. This weekend I shall look out my own bits and bobs of Larkin and pay more attention to form on the page, and thank you for encouraging me to seek them out.
Thank you June. It means a lot to me that you enjoyed this post!
Such a wonderful reflection on a brilliant poem, Jeffrey. I especially like the parts about Milton and Paddington station in your annotations. I’ve been asked by a former student for a short wedding video with poem (in lieu of traveling to Singapore, unfortunately!) - maybe this is it!
Thank you, Kate! As for the wedding video, I'd say this poem could work very well!
Good thing you reported this essay because I had missed it the first time. I love it.
Not being a poetry person, I discovered Larkin only recently, and I love him too - I mean his work, not the man - at least according to what I read about his biography.
I quote from your story:
"But there were other people facing him in the railway carriage, and Larkin, who described himself as a shy young man, felt too embarrassed to eat in front of them. So he stayed hungry and arrived famished. How very English, I hear you say..."
How very Japanese, I'd say. It takes a clueless young Italian like me (some 30 years ago) to eat piping-hot takoyaki on a local train, from Kawasaki to the Tokyo suburbs, my mouth contorting in pain, wondering why everybody was staring at me, slack-jawed.
Thank you for your kind words and for sharing your own experience of eating on a train! That's a very vivid image of your younger self!
This is one of my favorite poems, and you discussed it so beautiful and thoroughly. Thank you for this wonderful analysis. It was so lovely how you were able to weave your own life and experiences into this—it made the poem much more vivid.
Thank you, Ramya! I’m so glad to hear that, as someone who loves this poem, you enjoyed this post about it. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!
“Nowhere does a life find better meaning than between the lines of a poem. When life is transient, the poem offers a place from which to muse, gain perspective and even relax in the moment, regardless of where in the world we may be.”
— as usual the whole article was incredibly interesting, but the above passage really stuck out for me as it is such a wonderful summation of poetry’s power. :)
Thank you, Michael! I’m so glad that you picked out those lines. A year after I wrote them, they feel remote from me, but, as I’m currently travelling, I have the same feelings right now.
Your take on this lovely poem was so enjoyable to read, Jeffrey, and makes me nostalgic for long train journeys, and people-watching. Love your connecting of Larkin's travel experiences with your own.
Thank you very much, Ann! Yes, it's a people watching poem in many ways, isn't it?
I love the weaving between your life and that of Larkin's poem, especially as this is one I haven't read before - or have possibly forgotten. A truly wonderful essay Jeffrey, thank you so much for your thoughtful reflections.
Thank you so much, Susie! I'm thrilled that you enjoyed the poem!
As before, so again: exhilarating! I still think of this post from the first time, and appreciate the close reading and sharing of insights. I confess I think of Substacks "packed like squares of wheat." Thank you for introducing us to Larkin, Jeffrey!
It seems that Larkin found his perfect profession to go with his speech impediment. What an example of turning a weakness into a strength. And I loved hearing what I have always thought, that poems (and Shakespeare) should be read aloud!
I believe this is my second essay of yours on Larkin, but this time I feel I got to know him better. I've always been a fan of 'the everyday or ordinary man' poems, so this attracts me to his style as well.
And of course, I have enjoyed getting to know you better, too, Jeffrey. Remarkably done!
Thank you, Lani! I'm really glad to hear that you enjoyed this poem by Larkin. It's the kind of poem that can sit with you a long time. And having one's life littered with bits of other people's writings in this way, seems to be how things have gone for me.
I enjoyed this so much Jeffrey. I had never read this poem but now, and especially with your close examination and personal commentary, feel I must explore more Larkin. His social commentary without explicitly damning and in the same breath even celebrating, made my brain do cartwheels. In my mind, I accompanied his poem with painter Andrew Wyeth’s style, pastoral, unfussy, bare, yet intimate.
Thank you, Kimberly, for your kind words and typically perceptive comments. I'm particularly grateful for the pointer to Wyeth in the context of Larkin's poetry. That's an association worth dwelling on.