This is Episode 117 of Poems for the Speed of Life.

Today's poem is "The Whitsun Weddings" by Philip Larkin.

Philip Larkin was an English poet, writer and librarian who died in 1985 at the age of 63.

The Poetry Foundation describes him as “a great poet of middle age” with a vision that is “elegiac, one of gradual diminishment”.

For all that his work is well known as raw, often rude, sometimes lewd, Larkin occupies an emotional centre that so many of us will recognise even if we don’t have the words for it.

(This is the second Larkin poem to feature in this podcast. If you’d like to hear “Money” you can find that in Episode 87.)

This poem, "The Whitsun Weddings", is one of his best-known and best-loved.

Whitsun is a British name for the old Christian holy day of the Pentecost, which falls each year in May or June (on the seventh Sunday after Easter) commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Christ's disciples.

Yes, the poem can be viewed in downbeat terms … if all the wedding parties are the same, is anything ever really special? But I love it as a celebration of the observation of the specialness of ordinary life.

The poet is the recorder of these events, the painter of these scenes, the creator of this artwork that celebrates an ordinary special day in ordinary unknown lives. The line “How their lives would all contain this hour” does something to me that I can’t fully explain right now.

You can read the poem here.

***

For a detailed outline of the mission and purpose behind this podcast, please check out Episode 100, "Why Poems for the Speed of Life?", in your podcast player or ⁠click here to listen on Spotify⁠.

***

Subscribe to or follow the show for free wherever you listen to podcasts.

To leave the show a review:

On Spotify. Open the Spotify app (iOS or Android), ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠find the show⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and tap to rate five-stars. (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Details here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)On Apple. Open your Apple Podcasts app, find the show and tap to rate five-stars. (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Details here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)On Podchaser. Open the Podchaser website, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠find the show⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and tap to rate five-stars. (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Details here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)

Music Credit:

Once Upon a Time by Alex-Productions | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://onsound.eu/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  | Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com