Larkin’s Poetry as Existential Catalyst

I do not believe Philip Larkin poetry’s to be “moody, misanthropic, or darkly witty.” However, I find that the overarching poetic intent and meaning of his intensely articulate verse to be an expression of the speaker’s inner silent, but none-the-less, emotive cry of his profound sadness of “Time” as being transitory in nature, passing too quickly, and never stopping or resting for anyone. I define this as the poet’s inner “Reality of Mortality,” a realistic, but poignant review of the speaker’s life, Larkin’s own life which brings an awareness of his own mortality and no matter how hard he tries, he still feels an "isolation" and "the sure extinction."

Two of his poems, “Talking in Bed” (p100) and “Aubade” (p190) capture the essence of Larkin’s view as speaker, that sadly, life is transitory. He has reached a certain age, is reviewing his life amongst his other daily reveries and musings, and he is suddenly aware to find that life, once strong, vibrant, vast, and never-ending, now has an expiration date stamped upon it. Life has passed him by while he was busy elsewhere. He is powerless to stop it, as are we, powerless human beings, each on a separate life continuum, never truly knowing where this life will lead us or how much time we have left to accomplish our “list of things to do…”

“Talking in Bed“ contains only four brief stanzas, but the despondent message is clearly conveyed through the use of images: winds, clouds, and darkness. “Outside, the wind’s incomplete unrest builds and disperses clouds about the sky, and dark towns heap up on the horizon. None of this cares for us”. The poem, “ Aubade” contains an existentialist angst and despondency where the speaker is contemplating his life after working all day and “getting half-drunk at night.” This poem is dark, but is partially resolved in the end when he realizes that “work has to be done.”

Even though both of these poems are darkly despondent, they do give me an insight into the workings of a poet’s interior artistic mindset; and I ponder my own existence. I realize that it is up to me to make changes to my own life before the “RofM” sets in. Or, from Guillaume Apollinaire, "Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy."