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Why Did I Dream Of You Last Night?

Philip Larkin 1922 (Coventry) – 1985 (Hull)

Why did I dream of you last night?
Now morning is pushing back hair with grey light
Memories strike home, like slaps in the face;
Raised on elbow, I stare at the pale fog
beyond the window.

So many things I had thought forgotten
Return to my mind with stranger pain:
- Like letters that arrive addressed to someone
Who left the house so many years ago.
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Submitted by RobertHaigh on July 26, 2020

Modified on March 27, 2023

20 sec read
183

Quick analysis:

Scheme AAXXB CXCB
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 344
Words 67
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 5, 4
Full analysis for Why Did I Dream Of You Last Night? »

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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