I Have Started To Say

Philip Larkin 1922 (Coventry) – 1985 (Hull)



I have started to say
"A quarter of a century"
Or "thirty years back"
About my own life.

It makes me breathless
It's like falling and recovering
In huge gesturing loops
Through an empty sky.

All that's left to happen
Is some deaths (my own included).
Their order, and their manner,
Remain to be learnt.
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Submitted by RobertHaigh on July 26, 2020

Modified on April 13, 2023

17 sec read
86

Quick analysis:

Scheme XXXX XXXX XXXX
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 311
Words 57
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4

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…

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