This Be The Verse

[IlRezzonico]

First time I read this poem, I thought it was just a funny joke. But the older I get the more I realise just how true it is.

[Deana3902]

Music is Oscar Peterson's Night Train - i think.

[GriefTourist]

life is pain and we should not bother, right on!

[juliamakhubela]

Get out as early as you can, And don't have any kids yourself.

[Relugus]

@dongnguyen25 He's saying how parents often pass down their problems to their children, and can mess up your life with their psychoses (such as controlling behaviour, overbearing, ignorance, unhelpful, etc). I incline to the view that if your parents have f***ed you up, you should probably not have children. My parents have f***ed my life up and as a result, I don't want to have kids or marry at all.

[bunnyman06]

They fuck you up your kids

And the little shits mean it

[BlackMariah69]

*right-wing, jazz-loving, pornography-loving, whiskey-loving, racist, mysoginist librarian.

[gaspode18]

@BlackMariah69 Yeah, he was one of us. An ordinary human being with the faults and fears of an ordinary human being. Still one of the great poets, though.

[MusicStudyMan]

great...but why the pictures of Eric Morecombe's? :o)

[MarsyasX1]

Well this was uplifting. lol

[rexh1212]

O's

[Riddles2007]

That's a damn good reading, a brilliant video - very well done.

[whitesocksmylad]

What's the name of the music at the end? And who's it by?

[ChrysalisBound]

~*effing brilliant!! love it*love it*love it

[EggsEqualVictory]

Love the poem, love the reading, love the jazzy finish. :D

[ilikethepie91]

very very nice vid, Larkin is an amazing poet, and i'v never heard his voice before, very appropriate

[delbhoye]

Thanks! It's actually me doing the reading, but I think someone else has posted a YT video of Larkin reciting this poem.

[angelaandkiki]

@ilikethepie91 - Nah - that's not Larkin's voice.

[DrDoom343]

Discovered this by chance in my high school English book and loved it. From what I've seen, this is one of those poems people either love or hate. Seems to me that the older you are, the less likely you are to write it.

[drbogenbroom2000]

Great reading. Great poem. Thanks. I "discovered" the poetry of Philip Larkin about 20 years ago; "Church Going" was the first poem that I read in an Spanish translation: "Ir a la Iglesia" (I'm mexican; excuse my English!), that sounded simply beautiful. Thanks again.

[delbhoye]

Glad you enjoyed it - thanks for stopping by!

[delbhoye]

That's interesting, as Malcolm McDowell (Alex) has a Yorkshire (northern) accent, while my accent is more southern England/London. I'm glad you liked it - thanks for commenting!

[DKUncut]

Hmmm... How on earth is using the word "fuck" a "cop out"?

It's a perfectly valid word within our wonderful English language and has been used in many great pieces of literature and poetry.

P.S. To PJ - is Gord divine then? ;o)

[lewismurray1]

in the words of murdoc niccals

this be the verse couldve been a killer song but he never managed to write this be the chorus

[EnglishG3nt]

Thanks for the in-depth and scholarly insight into Larkin, Silkcoolio.

[PeppermintJumpsuit]

Hi 'thewordofgod'...

For somebody with a divine tongue, your a bit silly aren't you?How do you know he resorted to using the word 'Fuck'. Did he lay awake for nights on end until giving in...'Oh bugger it, fuck it is then'!

What does it matter anyhow? He's putting in to words how he feels about his parents, not wondering whether he's copping out or not. I couldn't stop myself from saying that your comment is rather half-baked and a tad irritating. Fuck is a word.

Yours

[TheHugDrug]

A good poem reccomended to me by none other than my dad LOL.. i enjoyed the reading thanks.

[delbhoye]

Glad you liked it.

[gasgas270]

A few of my friends at Hull University were told off by him in the Library....in 1983.. I think...they had no idea who he was.....I think they may have told him to fuck off....I told them who he was . Funny. Bloody philistines.

[delbhoye]

LOL. Good one! But I don't think being told to fuck off would've fazed Larkin much!

[thewordofgord]

Larkin's a great poet, and no doubt about it, but this one has attained a fame far beyond its meagre accomplishment. Using the f word if a cop out for a poet of his stature, and I always regret he felt he had to resort to using it. Poets do not require street credibility like punk musicians.

wordofgord

[aaronb01]

fuck is a pun, our parents do 'fuck us up' in a way.

[imasmeasmecanbe]

bad language=colloquilalsim= a more accesible poem. sorry for nit-picking but i too am quite the larkin fan............. a master of poetic form if ever i read.

[Zythe]

Duh, the whole point of Larkin was he was rejecting the notions of what a poet should do. He was traditonal in form (rejecting the blank verse of Modernism) yet used contemporary in vernacular (rejecting the elitism of Modernism).

[MarkJPaddy]

Has anyone got any ideas for a dissertation proposal on the poetry of Larkin?

[anchower]

Is that Larkin doing the reading?

[delbhoye]

No, it's me!

[Slikcoolio]

best poem ever, but he was a prick

[delbhoye]

Yep, he definitely had some, er, issues :-/

[sophiejanebailey]

philip larkin kept it real

[Relugus]

@sophiejanebailey I think what he says in the poem is very wise.  I think only a certain percentage of human beings are suitable to be parents, yet society pressures and eggs on everyone to have kids even though many people don't really want to raise kids and are not suited to it. Some of us are meant to stay single or not have kids. Parenting aint for everyone, and the sooner the human race understands that, the better.

[92walex]

I'm studying Larkin for AS English Literature, blunt but so true it's horrible how true it is... this one made me laugh :D

[delbhoye]

Larkin's great - he says it how it is! If you liked this one, then check out 'Sunny Prestatyn' as well. Good luck with AS Lit!

[MycroftsMatch]

One of the best poems ever written. I keep a copy of it in my wallet.

[delbhoye]

Yep, it's simple but very incisive. It's a pity Larkin never accepted the Laureate post - I don't think he really got the recognition he deserved during his lifetime.

[ctcollegiate]

fuckn weirdo

[DieselBodine]

Great one Derek. How true it is. Did I hear you say a cuss word? I'm exposed to linguistic decadence! How'd you slip this great new one by me without me noticing? 8-)

[delbhoye]

Yes, I'm afraid there were some rude words in this one, DB. It's an 'R' rated poem with some adult content. :o)

Perhaps I should do some nice poems, like Keats or Wordsworth!

[debswildhoney]

5 star, favorite.

[delbhoye]

Hi Deb. Glad you liked it !

[useryug]

5 stars, Del, you bastion of culture, you!

[delbhoye]

Thanks Barry. I've always been a bit of a bastion ! :o)