Maturity

Philip Larkin 1922 (Coventry) – 1985 (Hull)



A stationary sense… as, I suppose,
I shall have, till my single body grows
        Inaccurate, tired;
Then I shall start to feel the backward pull
Take over, sickening and masterful -
           Some say, desired.

And this must be the prime of life… I blink,
As if at pain; for it is pain, to think
          This pantomime
Of compensating act and counter-act
Defeat and counterfeit, makes up, in fact
           My ablest time.
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Submitted by RobertHaigh on July 09, 2020

Modified on March 14, 2023

21 sec read
372

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABXXB CCDEED
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 421
Words 71
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 6, 6

Philip Larkin

Philip Larkin was born in 1922 and grew up in Coventry, England. He earned his BA from St John's College, Oxford, and finished with First Class Honours in English. In 1955 he became Librarian of the Brynmor Jones Library at the University of Hull, a post he held until his death in 1985. He was the best-loved poet of his generation, and the recipient of innumerable honours, including the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry. more…

All Philip Larkin poems | Philip Larkin Books

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