"Love Songs in Age" by Philip Larkin (poetry reading)

[ianskidmore]

You take a gloomy view of love. Surelythe problem with the Veronese delinquints was that they had barely reached puberty. Sexis wasted on the young and relationships need bottle age

[sourissourissouris]

wonderful poem! and oh so true...

"It is not Hell to be unloved, but it is Hell to be incapable of loving."

Thank You so much for this! I'm afraid we tend to forget about this in the overwhelmind self-pity sometims... as long as it hurts, it is alive...

[crywalt]

I've never heard of Philip Larkin. This is my first experience. It's lovely and sad.

I love the choice of illustrative painting, also. It's a surprisingly lively piece for the Impressionist style, especially with a woman as the subject -- aren't women supposed to lounge around languidly on the sofa or the lawn?

[TomRAFC]

i absolutely adore your readings larkin, they always sound exactly as they should

[scifiwritir]

wow!!! Soooo good! -C

[thallassocracy]

The poem that turned me on to Larkin; I think it was that rime between 'chord' (musical notes blend) and 'word' (words will only stick together).

And I never find it as bleak as most readers. This love 'had not done so then/ And could not now'. There is a tiny amount of wriggleroom there: perhaps a different type of love might have succeeded then, and now alike.

Larkin may not be saying love is incapable, only the kind of love he has seen.

'An Arundel Tomb' may be a revisiting of the topic.