MCMXIV - A poem by Philip Larkin

Philip Larkin - MCMXIV

Those long uneven lines
Standing as patiently
As if they were stretched outside
The Oval or Villa Park,
The crowns of hats, the sun
On moustached archaic faces
Grinning as if it were all
An August Bank Holiday lark;

And the shut shops, the bleached
Established names on the sunblinds,
The farthings and sovereigns,
And dark-clothed children at play
Called after kings and queens,
The tin advertisements
For cocoa and twist, and the pubs
Wide open all day;

And the countryside not caring
The place-names all hazed over
With flowering grasses, and fields
Shadowing Domesday lines
Under wheat's restless silence;
The differently-dressed servants
With tiny rooms in huge houses,
The dust behind limousines;

Never such innocence,
Never before or since,
As changed itself to past
Without a word--the men
Leaving the gardens tidy,
The thousands of marriages
Lasting a little while longer:
Never such innocence again.

Added: on August 11th, 2005 at 4:07 AM | Viewed: 12859 times | Comments (4)

MCMXIV - Comments and Information
Poet: Philip Larkin Poem: MCMXIV Volume: The Whitsun Weddings Year: Published/Written in 1960 Comment 4 of 4, added on November 1st, 2005 at 12:06 PM. the reality of being written and published in 1960 is poignant in comparison to the vast majority of WWI poetry written in the trenches that include often graphic representations of the reality of warfare, an aspect that Larkin could not have fully related. this so called 'aftermath poem' deals with the effects of war and not with the actualities of war as exhibited by poets such as sassoon and owen. Marv from United Kingdom Comment 3 of 4, added on September 20th, 2005 at 1:13 PM. The "dark clothed children" at face value, is only a reference to the fact that dye was not a very commonly used thing back in the early 1900s, if at all. In fact it was not until the 1940s that dye became a popular thing amongst clothing. Nicole from United Kingdom Comment 2 of 4, added on August 11th, 2005 at 4:07 AM. The final line of this poem; 'never such innocence again' refects the pre-war victorian society's romantic views towards death. Before the war young men were encouraged to think of fighting as heroic, reminiscent of greek myths and fairytales. They had no idea about the suffering and trauma that would actually occur. In public schools at the time boys were taught about being 'a good sport' and doing glorious things for your country. I think this is what Larkin is referring to when he says the men were waiting as if outside 'the Oval or Villa Park'. No past experience can actually prepare then for the war but to them it must have seemed like a team effort, trying to win a victory for England as one might in cricket or football. This idea also highlights their innocence and makes this poem very poignant. the 'moment in time' style of this poem captures how never after such terrible suffering will men be so keen or so unaware as they were in 1914. Larkin leaves this as open-ended. Is this innocence good or bad? it is up to the reader to decide. Fleur from United Kingdom More Comments >> Are you looking for more information on this poem? Perhaps you are trying to analyze it? The poem, MCMXIV, has received 4 comments. Click here to read them, and perhaps post a comment of your own. Of course you can also always discuss poems by Philip Larkin with others on the Poetry Connection poetry forum!

Poem Info
MCMXIV Volume: The Whitsun Weddings Year: Published/Written in 1960 Last read: 2009-11-08 02:29:00 Viewed 12859 times. Added on August 11th, 2005 at 4:07 AM.

Larkin Info
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