"The Trees" by Philip Larkin (poetry reading)

[rappamarfil]

That is morose , exacerbated ... Reminds one of what tse dry heaved to open the wasteland a dessication of the ringing start of the Canterbury tales . This is the courtly love from whence we arrive at besvis and butthead dry humping a sofa Where'er you walk Cool gales shall fan the glade Trees where you sit Shall crowd into a shade Trees where you sit Shall crowd into shade Where'er you walk Cool gales shall fan the glade Trees where you sit Shall crowd into a shade Trees where you sit Shall cr

[jonno52]

What a difference a spoken reading can make. I mention this poem to people who say Larkin is all "doom & gloom", and have emphasised the positive message of renewal in the last line. But hearing it read now, it's the notion that it's only a "yearly trick" that seems the more abiding message. Larkin was ultimately fairly consistently pessimistic: Andrew Motion, having gained Larkin's wary go-ahead for an "authorised" biography, observed in a moment of frustration "Why doesn't he just CHEER UP?"

[staylopictures]

That first photograph is so awful it almost ruins the poem.

[SpokenVerse]

@staylopictures It's the view from Larkin's "High Windows"

[scifiwritir]

Loved that. Came at the right time as well.

[APDurrant]

I am not normally a larkin fan, but I enjoyed that.