Friday, April 18, 2008

Poetry Friday: Philip Larkin's "Aubade" - "I work all day, and get half drunk at night"


Thanks for visiting! We're happy to be hosting Poetry Friday today at The Well-Read Child! Leave your link in the comments, and we'll post the roundup throughout the day!



In the Middle Ages minstrels sometimes sang Aubades, or songs about lovers parting at dawn. This theme was revived by metaphysical poets like John Donne. In "The Sun Rising," he rails against the sun for its interruption of lovers.

In "Aubade," Philip Larkin replaces one lover with death, and speaks of night not as romantic cover but as an encounter with "what is really always there," mortality. The parting lover becomes the parting of this consciousness of mortality in exchange for the glare of distractions from it -- socializing, work, religion, drink. "I work all day, and get half drunk at night."

Aubade by Philip Larkin
I work all day, and get half-drunk at night.
Waking at four to soundless dark, I stare.
In time the curtain-edges will grow light.
Till then I see what's really always there:
Unresting death, a whole day nearer now,
Making all thought impossible but how
And where and when I shall myself die.
Arid interrogation: yet the dread
Of dying, and being dead,
Flashes afresh to hold and horrify.

Read the rest here.

______________________

Now, for the roundup!

Stacey and Ruth over at Two Writing Teachers have been hosting a One Week Poetry Challenge all week. If you haven't checked out all of the wonderful poems, now's your chance. Be sure to also check out Stacey's original poem about joy.

Tiel Aisha Ansari at Knocking From Inside brings us an original piece, "Edgar on Time", with an epigraph from Shakespeare.

Tricia at The Miss Rumphis Effect shares Paul Laurence Dunbar's "The Debt".

Elaine gives us two treats this week. First, at Wild Rose Reader, find an interview with Joyce Sidman. Next, at Blue Rose Girls, read Archibald MacLeish's "Ars Poetica."

John at The Book Mine Set shares a review of Selected Poems of Federico Garcia Lorca, translated by Martin Sorrell as well as a "Do-it-yourself" Lorca invitation. See what John came up with, and give it a try yourself.

Jenny at Jenny's Wonderland of Books joins us for her first Poetry Friday and brings us two poems by Vachel Lindsay. Welcome Jenny!

Devin at Speak of the Splendor shares May Swenson's "Analysis of Baseball."

Gregory K. at GottaBook is in with an original poem, "There's a Closet in My Nightmare."

Marie at Literacy Details shares a poem by Kristine O'Connell George.

Jama at Jama Rattigan's Alphabet Soup is in with poems about being late by Jeffrey McDaniel and Ted Hughes.

Cloudscome at A Wrung Sponge brings us an original, "First The Flower, Then the Leaf", her response to Tricia's Monday Poetry Stretch.

Sarah at In Need of Chocolate shares W.B. Yeats' "The Cat and the Moon."

Andrea and Mark at Just One More Book! share their podcast review of the rhyming picture book, Best Friend on Wheels.

writer2B is in with W.S. Merwin's "The Unwritten."

Ruth at There is No Such Thing as a God-forsaken Town, bids farewell to Aimé Césaire, who died yesterday.

Carol from Carol's Corner joins us for the first time bringing "Confessions of a Reader." Welcome Carol!

Lisa at A Little of This, A Little of That brings "The Pow Wow at the End of the World," by Sherman Alexie.

Sarah at Just Another Day of Catholic Pondering celebrates spring with Lawrence Raab's "Cold Spring."

Mme T at Destined to Become a Classic offers Don Paterson's "Poetry."

Sara at Read Write Believe shares the poem she carried in her pocket yesterday: Elizabeth Bishop's "The Filling Station."

Mary Lee at A Year of Reading shares some acrostics written by her students.

Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
shares an interview with The Poetry Seven, the seven bloggers who created last week's crown sonnet, "Cutting a Swath."

Anastasia at Picture Book of the Day is in with the picture book, Jazz Baby.

Jenny at Little Acorns Treehouse brings us "Jerimoth Hill" by Tom Chandler, a poem that describes the landscape of Rhode Island.

Becky Levine offers up an original poem this week.

Karen Edmisten shares Frances Thompson's "The Hound of Heaven."

In celebration of GLBTQ poetry, Lee Wind from I'm Here. I'm Queer. What the Hell do I Read? shares Dennis Cooper's "James Kelly."

At Bildungsroman, Little Willow offers Hart Crane's "Chaplinesque. "

At World of Words, Marcie shares some Mother Goose rhymes.

Becky at Becky's Book Reviews shares "Rated PG-13", a fairy-tale related poem from Vivian Vande Velde's Tales From the Brothers Grimm and the Sisters Weird.

Becky at Farm School offers an Adrian Henri fractured fairy tale poem, and a bit of Charles Causley's thoughts on poetry for children.

Miss Erin brings us "Winter's on the Wing," from Secret Garden, the Musical.


MsMac at Check It Out shares a winning poem from one of her students and some great haiku from third graders.

Susan T. at Chicken Spaghetti gives us Josephine Jacobson's "Monosyllable."

Lisa Chellman at Under the Covers muses about Oscar Wilde, the value of beautiful wallpaper, and why she writes. She also gives us snippets of some of Wilde's and John Keats' poetry.

Marjorie at Paper Tigers talks about
about children's poets Michael Rosen and Jorge Luján's share of a talk at the Bologna Book Fair. Be sure to check out the animation at the end!

Suzanne at Adventures in Daily Living brings "The Windhover" by Gerard Manley Hopkins.

a. fortis at Finding Wonderland brings us two gems from T.S. Eliot.

Liz at Liz in Ink shares some "poetry-centric ramblings" and a E.E. Cummings' "My Love is Building a Building."

Gina at AmoXcalli implores us to Save the Tacos. Also check out Gina's poetry news and student animation over at Cuentecitos.

Anamaria from Books Together brings us "Los Zapaticos de Rosa" from Cuban poet, Jose Marti.

MsMac offers up an original poem regarding her absence at a book challenge hearing for MT Anderson's Feed.

Fuse #8 is in with a post about the poetry collection, Inside Out: Children's Poets Discuss Their Work.

Liz B. at A Chair, A Fireplace, & A Tea Cozy gives us "The Red Wheelbarrow" by William Carlos Williams.

Felicity at Look Books gives us Mary Oliver's "Summer Day."

The Reading Zone offers up an original poem as part of Two Writing Teachers' One Week Poetry Challenge.

Kelly at Big A little a gives a review of Jan Greenberg's Side by Side: New Poems Inspired by Art from Around the World.

Kelly Fineman
at Writing and Ruminating shares "The Lion and Albert" by Marriott Edgar.

Finally, Christine at The Simple and the Ordinary offers up "Flowers" by Robert Louis Stevenson.


Thank you everyone for your wonderful posts! It's been a pleasure hosting.

68 comments:

  1. Original piece with an epigrah from Shakespeare:

    Edgar on Time

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm in with a review of Selected Poems of Federico Garcia Lorca, translated by Martin Sorrell. As well, there's a "Do-it-yourself" Lorca invitation.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am in this week with Paul Laurence Dunbar's poem The Debt.
    http://missrumphiuseffect.blogspot.com/2008/04/poetry-friday-debt.html

    Thanks so much for hosting!

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  4. Thanks for the plug!

    Here's my submission for this week's Poetry Friday:

    http://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com/2008/04/18/staceys-seventh-of-eight-poems/.

    Thanks for hosting today!

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  5. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  6. Thanks for doing the roundup this week!

    At Wild Rose Reader, I have an interview with children's poet Joyce Sidman, winner of the 2006 and 2007 Cybils Awards for Poetry.

    http://wildrosereader.blogspot.com/2008/04/interview-with-joyce-sidman.html


    At Blue Rose Girls, I have Ars Poetica, a poem by Archibald MacLeish.

    http://bluerosegirls.blogspot.com/2008/04/poetry-friday-ars-poetica-by-archibald.html

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  7. My first Poetry Friday post! http://wonderlandofbooks.blogspot.com/2008/04/in-praise-of-vachel-lindsay.html
    Also, how do I put up the Poetry Friday icon?

    Newbie blogger,
    Jenny

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  8. I'm in this week with May Swenson's Analysis of Baseball.

    http://speakofthesplendor.wordpress.com/2008/04/18/poetry-friday-analysis-of-baseball-by-may-swenson/

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  9. I'm up with an original (like every day in April!)...

    There's a Closet in My Nightmare

    Thanks for hosting!

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  10. I am in this week...my 3rd week :)
    I chose a poem by Kristine O'Conner George check it out at
    http://literacydetails.wordpress.com/
    Happy Poetry Friday!!!

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  11. Today I'm sharing poems by Jeffrey McDaniel and Ted Hughes. Thanks for hosting!

    http://jamarattigan.livejournal.com/101358.html

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  12. Thanks for hosting. I'm in with my response to Trisha's Monday Poetry Stretch: First the Flower, Then the Leaf

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  13. Thanks for hosting the round-up. I'm in with The Cat and the Moon by Yeats. http://inneedofchocolate.wordpress.com/2008/04/18/poetry-friday-the-cat-and-the-moon-by-w-b-yeats/

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thanks for rounding us up today.

    We're in with "Best Friend on Wheels" a rhyming picture book about two best friends who have everything in common but their mode of transportation:

    http://www.justonemorebook.com/2008/04/18/wheelchair-accessible-best-friend-on-wheels/

    Happy Friday!

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  15. Thanks for hosting! I'm in with W.S. Merwin's "The Unwritten:"

    http://writer2b.wordpress.com/2008/04/18/hide-and-seek/

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  16. I'm saying goodbye to Aimé Césaire, who died yesterday. Here's the link.

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  17. My first poetry Friday

    http://carolwscorner.blogspot.com/

    I'd love to know, also, how to put up the Poetry Friday Link.

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  18. I'm in with Sherman Alexie.
    http://alotalot.wordpress.com/2008/04/18/poetry-friday-10/

    Lisa

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  19. Spring had me discovering a great poem for the week I've had here on the farm...so here is my submission, a poem by Lawrence Raab. Thanks for hosting!

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  20. I'm in with a poem by Don Paterson titled Poetry.
    http://destinedtobecomeaclassic.blogspot.com/

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  21. I carried Elizabeth Bishop's poem, The Filling Station, in my pocket yesterday for National Poem in Your Pocket Day. Here's my post about it.

    Thank you for hosting!

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  22. I have some acrostics written by my students.

    http://readingyear.blogspot.com/2008/04/poetry-friday-acrostics-that-say.html

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  23. 7-Imp is in with an interview with the Poetry Seven, the seven bloggers who created last week's crown sonnet, "Cutting a Swath."

    It's at http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/?p=1235.

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  24. P.S. Thanks for that Larkin. Swoon. Good stuff.

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  25. I'm in with Jazz Baby. Thanks! Anastasia

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  26. This week our homeschool is learning about Rhode Island so we have a poem that gives a great descriiption of the landscape of the state at

    http://littleacornscds.blogspot.com/2008/04/poetry-art-rhode-island.html

    Thanks for hosting!

    Jenny

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  27. Original poem at http://beckylevine.livejournal.com

    Thanks for hosting this week.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Thanks for hosting! I'm in this week with "The Hound of Heaven" by Francis Thompson.

    It's here.

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  29. Hi!

    Lee Wind here from "I'm Here. I'm Queer. What the Hell do I Read?" at

    http://www.leewind.org

    Continuing my celebration of GLBTQ poetry, I'm in today with Dennis Cooper's time-traveling "James Kelly"

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  30. Thank you for hosting today!

    Here's my post at Bildungsroman.

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  31. I'm in with Mother Goose rhymes.
    Marcie
    World of Words

    http://marcieaf.blogspot.com/2008/04/poetry-friday-mother-gooses-little.html

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  32. My contribution this week is Vivian Vande Velde's poem 'Rated PG-13' from her book Tales From the Brothers Grimm and Sisters Weird.

    Thanks for hosting!

    ReplyDelete
  33. Thanks for hosting and rounding up today.

    I have an Adrian Henri fractured fairy tale poem, and a bit of Charles Causley's thoughts on poetry for children here,

    http://farmschool.wordpress.com/2008/04/18/poetry-friday-from-the-tower-for-children/

    or, maybe more easily,

    an Adrian Henri fractured fairy tale poem, and a bit of Charles Causley's thoughts on poetry for children

    Thanks again!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Thanks for doing the roundup!
    Here's my contribution: http://misserinmarie.blogspot.com/2008/04/winters-on-wing.html

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  35. I hope I am not posting twice. Thanks forhosting this week.
    Here is mine:
    http://maclibrary.edublogs.org/2008/04/18/poetry-friday-winning-poem-and-third-grade-haiku/

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  36. Thank you for rounding up the posts today.

    Chicken Spaghetti is in with a link to Monosyllable, by Josephine Jacobsen.

    http://chickenspaghetti.typepad.com/chicken_spaghetti/2008/04/here-we-are-in.html

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  37. Thanks for hosting! I'm in with some musings about Oscar Wilde, the value of beautiful wallpaper, and why I write, with snippets from/links to the poetry of Wilde and John Keats:

    http://lisachellman.com/blog/2008/04/poetry-friday-wilde-and-wallpaper

    ReplyDelete
  38. Hello, it's great to share in a round-up - thank you for hosting.

    my post is about children's poets Michael Rosen and Jorge Luján's share of a talk at the Bologna Book Fair - don't miss the link to the gorgeous animation at the end!

    http://www.papertigers.org/wordpress/?p=647

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  39. "Arid interrogation" - wow! What a turn of phrase.

    I'm in with "Two from T.S." (because, of course, April is the cruellest month...)
    http://writingya.blogspot.com/2008/04/poetry-friday-two-from-ts.html

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  40. I'm in late with Taco Shop poets on video and a petition to save local taco trucks.

    mmmm tacos

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  41. Oi vey. I posted this morning but forgot to link...

    I'm in with a bunch of poetry-centric ramblings and a little ditty by ee cummings...

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  42. Cuentecitos is in not with poetry but with news of poetry and animation by students.

    http://cuentesitos.blogspot.com/2008/04/poetry-friday-poetry-meets-animation.html

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  43. Grrr I forgot to link AmoXcalli's post on tacos

    here's the link, I guess I got distracted by tacos.

    http://ginasblogging.blogspot.com/2008/04/save-tacos.html

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  44. I had to write a poem in response to a book challenge.
    http://maclibrary.edublogs.org/2008/04/18/a-poem-regarding-my-absence-at-a-book-challenge-hearing/

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  45. Hi--I'm in with a favorite poem by Cuban poet Jose Marti:
    http://bookstogether.squarespace.com/blog/2008/4/18/poetry-friday-los-zapaticos-de-rosa.html
    Thanks for hosting!

    ReplyDelete
  46. Oops! My comment didn't go through the first time. Fuse #8 is in with a post about a poetry collection at:
    http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/1790000379.html

    Thanks!

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  47. I'm in with The Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos Williams. http://yzocaet.blogspot.com/2008/04/poetry-friday-red-wheelbarrow.html

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  48. Hi! I've got The Summer Day by Mary Oliver.

    http://lookbooks.wordpress.com/2008/04/18/poetry-friday-the-summer-day/
    ~Felicity

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  49. http://thereadingzone.wordpress.com/2008/04/18/my-seventh-of-eight-poems/

    In at the last minute!

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  50. I am in late with a review of a poetry anthology. Here's the link and thanks for hosting!!

    http://kidslitinformation.blogspot.com/2008/04/book-review-side-by-side-new-poems.html

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  51. I was in early, but neglected to alert you. (Oops.)

    Here's the link to today's post, which is of The Lion and Albert by Marriott Edgar: http://kellyrfineman.livejournal.com/297969.html

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  52. I'm in late (but it's still Friday) with a little Robert Louis Stevenson on Flowers.
    http://simpleordinary.blogspot.com/2008/04/poetry-friday-late-edition.html

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  53. there is life there must also die ...
    There must also meeting a farewell ...
    There is also a sad beautiful ...
    all have a couple ...
    in this world ..

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  54. HA HA.. I love the Tittle, anyways good Post thanks for sharing

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  55. You are definitely talented at writing. Keep up the good work.

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  56. Nice poem! http://www.nationsequipment.com

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  57. cool article. I really like Philip Larkin. He does a great job at relating subjects to actual feelings.

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  58. Interesting poem. I like the lines.

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  59. I won't admit to being half drunk as I write this but, this is a great poem. Love Philip Larkin's style. Great post.

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  60. Very awesome post. He is definitely a talented poet.

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  61. I wana congratulate you for such a wonderful and excellent work keep it up though its awesome

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