Terrible Angels - Dannie Abse

From within this poem we see the strong connections of it being about war and the effect it had to people.
From the beginning of the poem in the first stanza we see its a memory for the persona but is also a memory for the man that is telling the story. From "One bedtime, my father showed me his war medals" we see that the persona is recalling on the memory of his father telling him a story of war. We see positive imagery being used with how they state the medals to have "pretty coloured ribbons" therefore suggesting a key object that allows the persona to remember when he was younger. From the lines, "how first their invisible presence cause horses to bolt and flocks of meat-snatching birds to rise" we see that these angels caused a great amount of fear towards men. This could be representing how the enemy caused a great deal of terror towards the soldiers and the attacks that they held on each other were a great deal to make horses bolt. They are all scared and we get the impression that this may be talking about the trenches within the war. "invisible presence" can link to them being within the trenches due to how they are unaware of the men until they are close beside them and having to kill them or be killed themselves. Also with the line, "flocks of meat-snatching birds to rise" we could interpret that the more deaths they cause the more of a feast they will gain by it. Altogether this is protrayed as being very negative and is supported with the line, "circle round and around like a carousel". Due to this similie we can interpret that there was no escape and the men were trapped within war and had no choice but to attack the enemy to get out.

From the use of words "silence of gas" we can see that they were silent killers and that the men died due to gas attacks within the trenches. Some were never able to see the enemy and were killed by a gas as it suffercated them. We also see "when they sang it was shrapnel striking helmets" we get the notion of pain and suffering occuring. The word "shrapnel" is an example of some exposive they used within the war and therefore suggests that there was the worry of being bombed as well. The thought of the "striking helmets" portrays to us that it could be refering to the uniform of German soldiers in the World Wars for they had points on the top of their helmets. From this we could make the impression that they were noticable to be the enemy due to this detail and therefore would help the troops know how to attack due to the differences. We then see that the whole land is filled with pain and the belief of death due to the line "soldiers' prayers and soldiers' screams". All men are scared and therefore all are refering to God to help them escape the madness they have been placed in.
We see the use of an oxymoron with the words "stealthily visible" and therefore suggests to us that the angels could be presented all soldiers murdering each other. From the final line "(My father, invalided home, was told he knew more about angels than was healthy)" we see that he had no choice on returning home for he is no longer a healthy man. He might of been hurt within battle and therefore not able to fight anymore or it could refer to how he has unravelled the fact that the war is filled with murderers and we are turning into evil angels that will not be sent to heaven due to the murder we have done. He has become weak due to not being healthy anymore and therefore states to us that he needs to progress slowly into a human once more.
A poem by Larkin that is ideal to the theme of loss is MCMXIV due to how it represents the effect of war and how it caused people to suffer greatly. Not just the women, children and men at home, but the men fighting on the front. 

An Old Commitment - Dannie Abse

From looking through the first few short stanzas we are able to see there is a sense of doubt and loss provided by Abse. Within the use of the line, "I had a cause then. Surely I have a cause?" we see that the persona is judging themselves to their past and refering back to the present. Within the past he had some importance and value within his life but now that time has refered on we see that he is not so sure that it is like that. We see he had a use in the past due to how it refers to a battle occuring by his past family generations and how they are connected to him with the use of the line, "I was for them and they were for me". They are linked together due to the past and he is no the only one that remains. We also see the theme of memory due to how he recalls the events and we see the use of a metaphor as he states, "as blank as stone". From this we could refer to the battle being pointless or it could suggest the notion of him not being able to recall fully on what had happened.
As we move on within the poem we are able to see the notion of a journey occuring and the persona providing an image of the sun setting. We see the persona takes great care when looking at the sun and we see the line "Behind it, what have I forgotten?" has some elements of loss brought into it. He is stating that this is behind him but feels like he does not wish to forget it completely. We see that he talks of how this loss follows the sun therefore it could be stating to us that the notion of death is occuring but is refered to them watching only when the sun is up.
We then see the persona has arrived at his wanted destination but has discovered that all has gone. We see that he is a great deal too late due to how even the people that work there have gone home and have left him in a "unlit dark". He is surrounded by darkness and lonliness but remains there anyway. We also get the notion of death due to how he states the people that work there have "departed" therefore refering to us that he is truly alone within this part of the world.
"I am no ghost and this place is in ruins" we see that normally within the ruins of somewhere, we wonder whether the place would be haunted with ghosts and within this line we see that Abse is refering to him being so alone that he has not been made as a ghost and therefore stands out within the darkness of the ruins.
We then see that he calls out the word "Black" which could refer to two different meanings. One could be the reference to a loved one having the last name of "Black" but could also refer to him shouting out into the darkness in hope that someone would bring light to him. We also get the line, "I call softly to one dead but beloved" and therefore see that he is in a great state of loss and lonliness. Someone that he loved truly is no longer with us and he is calling out to them and we see he cared greatly for them due to how he calls "softly".
From the final word we then see that he is becoming desperate for there is no answer to his agony and all he wants is a simple reply and we see how important this is to the persona due to how Abse places this one word answer on its own line.
The poems that could link to this would be Home Is So Sad by Larkin for we are able to make the link of loss occuring within both poems. Another that could link to the key theme of loss would be MCMXIV for it represents the effect of someone dying and how it causes people to feel.

The Mistake - Dannie Abse

From looking within this poem we are able to see it holds some elements of humour due to a mistake a couple have made over a tree. From within the first stanza we are able to see that we have been provided with some sort of orders due to how Abse is writing. From the tree having "no identity" we are able to see that we know little about the tree and what beauty or danger it possesses to people that see it. Although we are unaware, we see that it refers to us to "Pluck a leaf. Close your eyes. Smell its acrid odour" as though nature has a hidden talent of showing us the beauty inside it. We are also able to see that Abse personifies the tree with the phrase, "Comfort the green tree" therefore stating to us that even no this tree has no identity it is still alive and aware of the nature outside portraying a positive view.
Within the second stanza we can see that they have been able to provide the tree with a name known as "Evodia danieli" and also that its true origin is within Korea. We however see a negative side towards people due to how they wish to "boast" about what they have discovered. They have become greedy with knowledge that will allow them to look better and much more sophisticated towards their friends. From this we see that people allow knowledge to raise them up in society and do not take the benefit of nature that we are surrounded in.
From looking within stanza three we learn the people portray this tree to be rare and holy due to how they encourage people to smell its leaves. From the line "Its rare as Welsh gold" we see that Abse has used a metaphor to portray to the audience how much this couple are trying to make it seem holy when really it is not. They are trying to give it a false/new identity compared to its old one to make it seem more exciting and glamourous. We also see that it compares to curing people with the line "It'll charm away your cold" and this is supported with the line in the first stanza saying, "Oriental dispensary".The word "Oriental" refers to being within the East therefore stating the true location of the tree to being within Eastern Korea and the word "dispensary" means an office filled with medications. From this we are able to see the link between the two lines to showing that this plant is able to be used to make medicines for the ill therefore suggesting it has a great deal more importance then many other plants.
As we move onto the final stanza we learn the humourous mistake the couple have made. One of the key lines within this stanza would be "Tired of lies" for it informs the reader that the tree is tired of having this false identity to show all these people and wants its true self to be shown and appreciated. It hates the fame that it is being given by humans and therefore we are able to see that its life within this home has been fake. From the final two lines we see the tree transform into its normal form of a walnut tree and due to the line "shamelessly free of disguise" we learn that there is no shame to what we appear to look like. The tree has no shame in becoming what it truly is even though it will not get the same attention and love as it did before. Therefore we see Abse refering to a life lesson of us having to be ourselves and not want people make us to be or want us to be.
The poems that would link to The Mistake by Larkin would be Self's the Man and Essential Beauty. Self's the Man due to having self assessed itself and coming to realise what is good and bad within its life and Essential Beauty due to how it portrays the sense of being an advertisement and hiding the truth behind everyone until they have brought the product and are aware of what it really is. 

A Wall - Dannie Abse

From looking at this short poem we are able to instantly see that this poem would link to Here by Larkin due to the description of a place. From within the first stanza it portrays how useless and meaningless this wall is and is shown with the line, "it begins for no reason, ends no place". there is no purpose for this wall and the original significance of this wall is no longer there for it has been lost with everything else over time. This is also a link to the poems An Arundel Tomb by Larkin and also At Caerleon by Abse. Although the audience is unsure of what its origianl purpose was, we are able to see that within the society is it placed into now that it is out of place and context from everything else surrounding it.
 From the second stanza we are able to see that the use of the line "Don't say this wall is useless" can inform us of a purpose found for the wall. Abse is portraying to the readers that everything has a purpose no matter what it is or how old it is. Larkin however does not state this within his poems, he is far more negative to the world and what occurs within it whilst Abse seems to be always looking for a positive aspect on whatever it is.
As we see this wall is really a home for nature and can be seen due to the words "golden lichens" and "butterflies". There is a habitat occuring within this wall meaning a sense of life instead of refering to death in the stanza before. The wall portrayed the notion of death due to how it could of been the remains of history and therefore held some status of death within it. Abse however has changed this notion within the second stanza and provided us the evidence to see that it is really holding life. This wall is not useless and we see that the use of the word "golden" is placed as shinning and royal. From this we can imagine this habitat to be a great deal of importance to the creatures that live within it and they feel like this is their haven. We also see that it is used by larger animals and not just small insects with how "huddling sheep" use this wall as shelter. This is refered to as now and we see that this wall is a part of the landscape and the scene has absorbed the wall into the picture. As we have already seen the poems that link to A Wall would be An Arundel Tomb, Here and First Sights. Here would link to this poem due to the description of a place and An Arundel Tomb would due to the true purpose being lost and the remains of it left the audience to wonder. Finally First sights would link into this poem due to how it goes on about life and the poet thinking with a philosophical ending that sees a point to nature.  

A Heritage - Dannie Abse

From looking at this poem we are able to see that their is a great deal of reference to death and loss. From the use of the words "fossils", "funerals" and "skelertons" we are able to imagine a negative and unnatural setting from Abse' description. From reading the first few stanza i got the impression that Abse was portraying a negative way of a funeral with "The bawling pit-hooter" and "this black-robed god". From these it appears as though he is talking of the man that has dug the grave and the reverend waiting for the service. He is portrayed as being the "god" within the grounds and therefore rules all the lost dead souls that are within the grounds. We also question whether this is a historical poem with how Abse talks of horses and human skulls within the ground refering us to a battle that has occured. This would link into the poem MCMXIV with the use of the war and the memory of it.
As we continue through this poem we see the use of scenery of the mountain that gives us the impression of being alone or lost from the remains of others. Abse uses the words "Above, on the brutalised, unstitched side of a Welsh mountain" we see that pain has been conflicted and has not been hidden from other peoples eyes. We could also refer to there being a battle upon the mountain and the bodies have been left there in their memory.
As we move through the poem we also see that Abse is talking about fire and coal-mines within the final stanzas. From these we see that Abse could be telling the audience that instead of a battle occuring here, it could of been an accident that occured within a mine resulting in many lives lost. This poem is portrayed as being very  negative due to the final two stanzas with which we learn that an accident had taken place and they are now taken up to heaven with the use of the line, "the re-entry of the exiled god into his shadowless kingdom". This line refers to the audience as perhaps death being personified as a person and has come within this dark time when this accident has occured, taking many lives to his own kingdom which is heaven or hell.
We also see the reference to death with "blood-stained black roses" and therefore see that darkness has captured the lives of people and they are unable to escape whilst these two people, (could be two death gods) watch over in fasination. They is also the reference that they are not human due to how he drinks acid and with them watching over this wasteland.

I really struggled with this poem and do not think my ideas of what Abse is saying is right. Please help!

In The Welsh National Museum - Dannie Abse

From reading this poem we are able to see that the persona is talking about a portrait his friend Josef Herman had painted of him. We can see that Josef has a way with paint due to how he portrays the use of colour within the first stanza. This is portrayed as being negative due to the line, "Autumn is your season" and therefore gives us the notion that nature is dying. This could mean that he has placed Abse within a different light when painting him and the real Abse is not being shown within this portrait no matter how much effort Josef has placed within this work.
As we continue through this poem we see that Abse informs Josef that the painting is not like him with the line, "Josef, this other is not me". He sees that this is not what he is like or brings him the worry of people seeing him like this. This then makes him feel like he is portrayed as being a negative person due to this portrait and makes him feel like he needs to change.
As we go to the next stanza we see that Abse is talking about this other person who he sees within this portrait is not him and therefore his passport would have be forged. He has a fake identity for he is not the real Abse. We also get the negative impression within Poland with the lines, "his exile inevitable, his wound undescribable" and informs the audience to imagine the worse with punishments and tortures that have occured. He then goes on to talking about his clothing not be worn down or turned ragged and therefore is able to make the link between reality and the fiction of this image. Within reality we know that once clothing becomes worn down we then buy new clothing. This is represented with how the painting never changes whilst in reality we do making the portrait also to look nothing like Abse for he can always change but the picture cant.
From the next stanza, we see that it is almost like we are able to link to what the viewer of this picture is feeling with the line "that look of loss". They are confused about this image and are unsure if this image is portraying the truth or is lying to them. It could be both or just one of these references.
We also see the poet, Dylan Thomas is brought up in this poem and is placed as being terrified of the image that is shown of Abse. This could also link to how Josef is wrong about his view on Abse for Dylan has a "pettrified" expression upon his face.
We then also see that this image is portraying a negative approach to the Welsh community for they speak of religion and facing the devil. Abse has been placed as a worker of the devil and is portrayed to his people as being an outsider. He then ends the poem with questioning Josef about his work and the magic he has placed upon it. It is almost as though Josef has twisted people's views on him all due to a simple portrait and he questions what has really happened.
Poems that are by Larkin that could link to Abse would be Self's the Man and MCMXIV. The reason these poems are able to link to Abse is how he has the reference of memory with war and also the notion that he is making a self assessment all due to a painting. It could also link to any of Larkin's poem of Faith Healing with how it relates to religion and how God is able to help. In Abse we see that no God will help Abse at this time and he is within the view of the devil.

Down the M4 - Dannie Abse

From looking within the first stanza we see that the persona is afraid of what is to occur of his mother and is seen with the line, "this time afraid". Each time he has visited his mother there has been no fear in seeing her but throughout this stanza we see that she has aged greatly and this causes him some concern. We also the reference of death due to the word "hole" which could refer to being buried and therefore suggests to the audience that with many other members and friends of the family dying, he is scared that his mother is next. We also see her time is limited with the line, "The beautiful face of my mother is in its ninth decade" and also how much she means to the persona with refering her to being beautiful. She is comforting and kind like any other mother is to their child and he is scared of not being able to see that anymore due to her coming close to the stage of death.
When we move into the second stanza we see that he has been told the same stories repeatedly through his visits and we see that with hearing these stories for so long, we see the reference of him aging also with the line, "till I feel my hair turning grey". We also get the link of the mother talking about clocks which could link into how her life is slowly ending and her time that she has left. Although the persona finds it to be dull the audience is able to see that he feels like his time is fading with how his hair is turning old. It almost gives a negative impression of the persona for he is not listening to his mothers advise on spending time wisely and finds this a waste of time with how he sits there answering the same answer each time.
We also get a negative view with the use of the word "perishable" which refers to the audience as things decaying. He then makes the similie of it being like a rugby amateur that collects sovereigns and therefore suggests that to this is a pointless waste of time.
In stanza three we see that he talks of a river within the south of Wales and refers to other family members. We see that he talks of the grandmother Annabella and speaks of her being a great importance with influencing people as she is represented as being "genuine". We also are able to state that this is also another person that is no longer with us and has now died therefore stating the fact that time has gone too quickly.
Finally within the final stanza we see the notion of time changing due to how "bridges that leap over me, then shrink in my side mirror". We see that once something has happened you must continue through life and is represented with the metaphor on the bridges. We also see that his mother is no longer alive due to him whistling a tune that reminds him of her. This links into the poem of Love Songs in Age due to how a small item can remind them of a loved person which is what he is doing. The ending words of "It wont keep" inform the reader that the song will be forgotten as will his mother and they will not remain forever. He is recalling his true feelings of his mother within the song and she is all that is on his mind when making his journey to South Wales.
Other poems that could link to this would be The Whitsun Weddings, Love Songs in Age and also Send No Money. These poems can link into Abse with the reference of memory, loss of time or loved ones and also a journey.

Cousin Sydney - Dannie Abse

From looking at the first stanza of Cousin Sydney we see that Sydney appeared more like an adult than a child. We see this due to the quote, "size 12 shoes - at fifteen the tallest boy in his class" and could also show you that this gave him the notion of wanting to grow up a lot quicker than the others in his class. This can also be supported with how the persona's mother says, "Dull as a bat" and also suggest to us that although he wanted to be grown up he was very child-like with being destructive and wasnt the brightest at his age.
As we move onto the second stanza we see that the persona's father also has a negative view upon cousin Sydney with repeting what his mother said. From within this stanza we begin to see the story unfold as we learn that Sydney lied about his age to go to war and therefore we see that he wanted to explore the world and have an adventure and believed the army was the way to get it. We see this due to the line, "hero Sydney lied about his age, to claim rough khaki, silly ass". From this we also see that the family had a great affect on his going to war and disapproved of it with calling him a "silly ass". He is still being childlike and not seeing the mistake he has made and is shown with how the clothing of the uniform is represented to the audience.
As we continue through the stanza and into the next we see that cousin Sydney has died within battle. Throughout the remains of stanza we see that the family do not believe it and they have the use of religion in hope of being reunited with him. We see that Sydney's father takes it badly with hope that his son will return with "never bolted the front door" and continues through this stanza portraying this mans only hope and dream of his son returning.
We then see in stanza four that the recalling of the swing has an appearance of foreshadowing cousin Sydney's death. Before when he was alive we see that the swing was usable and an enjoyment but now it is broken and no longer used. This portrays Sydneys death for it has been left there in his memory and shows us that he is no longer with us. We also get the similie of the persona's aunt crying like a raw onion and we also see the reference of history as his uncle shouts, "Bloody Germans". From this we learn that his son had died in the second World War and his anger was placed upon the Germans due to how they had taken his son so easily from him. We also see the reference of history with rememberance day and therefore see that the family suffered with his loss for thirty years.
As we move onto the final stanza we learn that the aunt and uncle of the persona went missing. This could mean that they left their home for they finally believed their son is dead. They have finally believed that he is no longer with them and could suggest that they feel there is no need for them to stay their waiting for them. The reference of them disappearing could also suggest that they have died too and are now finally with their long lost son that they have been waiting for. We also see that another person has moved into the house and therefore the memory of cousin Sydney is no longer their. He is only a memory within the army and the family that remain there but to the people within the house now, have no idea of him and is shown with the quote, "strangers have bolted their door and cut the string and no-one at all (the dark so hall)"
Poems made by Larkin that would link well to this poem would be MCMXIV, Faith Healing and Love Songs in Age. These poems would link to Abse due to how they relate to loss, memory, history and religion.
Poems that link from Abse would be The Death of Aunt Alice, Musical Moments 2 and Two Photographs.

Quests - Dannie Abse

From this poem we can see that Abse is stating to the audience the reference to religion and beliefs. From within the first part of this short poem we see the notion of wild life and nature growing with the use of the words "umbels" and "flower". We see that the person is implying a way of which to be able to get to "the other world" which could be the reference to heaven. From this we then can see that some would take drastics with poisen that is from this nature that appears postive and delicate towards the audience.
As we move onto the second short stanza we see the notion of people doing various different things to make it to the other world. From the use of the word "messiah" we see that the persona is informing us of people asking for their promised deliverer to be sent to them which gives us the reference to Jewish beliefs. We also see that perhaps people were foolish towards Gods help with the use of the line, But God had human faces and were flawed". From this we get the impression that God had love towards human beings but when being placed upon this earth his weakness towards them led to negative events or situations.
As we move on to stanza three we then see that there is the reference to Greek Gods as well with the names of "Apion" and "Homer". This could also suggests another religion or beliefs that either the persona or another group of people that Abse is talking about within the poem.
As we move on to stanza four we see that reality is brought back in and the persona is refering to another part of Greek mythology with a known lustful drinking God riding on the back of a sea-horse. From looking at this stanza we not only get the notion that he is talking about beliefs but also how silent it is within the museum. As we contine through the fifth stanza we see that their is also this longing silence as we change from Cardiff to Ogmore which is placed as being powerful and controlling for it is able to be heard over the roaring waves of the sea. There is also the reference to an early sea god named Proteus and with how he will not be heard to sulk. There is also the use of imagery to portray a calm night time sky.
Within the final stanza we then see that the persona's own beliefs begin to come into it with how he is unaware of the answer. "Secular" might refer to the meaning of Secularism which is the rejecting of religion. We see that Abse might be implying that he is not able to hear all this music due to not believing in there religions. He has his own beliefs and remains to keep to that and doe not wish to expand. There is also the reference that he does not want to be stuck within the same place, he wants to be adventurous and explore suggesting the meaning of the title to be "Quests".
Poems that would link to this would be Days, Nothing to be Said and Water by Larkin all due to how they express their own view on faith and belief.

A Sea Shell for Vernon Watkins - Dannie Abse

From this poem we are able to see that it is telling us of another poet that stood on stage to perform his work. From within the first stanza we get the interpretation that this is the rememberance of another poet due to how he talks of him being "unreal" to the audience. We have the use of imagery once more with the description of the cliffs and after that we see the notion of him talking of other poets that have also passed away. We also see the interpretation of life being shown to the audience with the use of shadows being portrayed in the imagery. This thought of death occurs through the remains of the stanza with the line, "I lifted a sea-shell from your shadow when you big-talked how the dead resume the silence of God". From this we get the thought that when we die we still get the silence of God and nothing changes. All questions are left unanswered and we are still waiting. We also get the impression that Watkins is dead due to how Abse picks a sea-shell from his shadow. Now although a shadow is placed by any object stating that it could be alive, we also see that Watkins has become dormant and Abse has now taken hold of life, personified by the sea-shell.
As we move onto the second stanza we see the sudden change of the countryside imagery in Pennard with how two shadows have become one, stating the notion of death occuring. We also see the notion of death within the line, "listening to another sea-shell I found, startled, its phantom sea utterly silent". From this we that death is occuring once more with the use of the word "phantom" which implys to us as being unreal and not from this world. From listening to this sea-shell we see that this could link in with only one shadow remaining on the cliff side. One shadow is no longer with us and the sea has turned ghostly and silent due to this.
Whilst we continue through the stanza we see that Abse talks of how unnatural it is to not hear the sound of the rolling sea and places it as being a "void" and a "interuption of sound" that should be there. We see that Abse himself is also making the link between the silence within this shell to the poet with the final line of this stanza saying, "but the stopped breath of a poet who once sang loud?". From this we also are able to imply that this poet was loud and noisy whilst on stage and no that he is no longer alive, it is silent and is placed as being unpleasant due to the change.
Within the final stanza we see that the persona is talking about the reality of death. From within this stanza we see that when one great poet dies, another is put in its place and we see the notion that we are not remembered after time with the use of the line, "the young asking, 'who?'". We are also able to make the link to another one of Abse' poems called Two Photographs with how he states that when we die and when all our loved ones die, it appears as though we have never lived at all. This links into it well due to the phrase used above from the poem.
Within the final part of this stanza we see that Abse is portraying the sense that all beaches should be filled with these shells that imply to us the notion of more people dying over time, but also with how the sea is able to capture it all. The use of the word, "immortal" states to us readers that the sea is powerful and is an observer of all thoughs that have died. We also see that the shells are empty, have no importance or value and is shown with the line, "This shell is useless" and therefore get the impression that that is what we will be when we die. From the final line we see that loved ones cry due to their losses but yet Abse does not cry for Watkins which makes the persona question why he is not doing so. Perhaps he is refering to his statement before on how many famous poets have died before and more are to follow, suggesting that it is Abse who is able to become famous and Watkins to be forgotten.
There is the link to a Larkin poem named For Sydney Bechet for it has the similarity of being an elergy. This is a reflection on someone just like the poem of Sydney Bechet and from this we see that this is in memory of the dead. 

Elergy for Dylan Thomas - Dannie Abse

This poem has the link towards Larkin of being an Elergy which suggests to the audience the link to For Sydney Bechet once more.
From within the first stanza we get the notion that death has occured of the use of something is no longer available due to the words "smoke-laden town". From this we get the impression that what was once there is no longer due to it being filled with "smoke".
From the next stanza we begin to see that Dylan Thomas is truly dead and the impression that it was his happiness to die. We get the sense that he might of been a drunk due to the words "the whisky-meadows" and that this could of been the result of his death. Another Larkin that would link to this would be Self's the Man for we see that the man has no freedom due to the choice he made of being married and having children. Larkin however placed it as symphathy and we get the notion from his poem that the man's freedom has been completely killed just like Dylan Thomas.
From the word "disinherited" we see that Dylan was not seen as a worthy person to take on responsibilities due to his constant battle with drinking. From talking about the butterflies we also see that he is a constant drunk and is similar to a butterfly due to how they appear to fly around. It also mentions his "half-buried heart" which could suggest that while he was alive his heart was dying due to the drink but also to how fragile the heart truly is to anything and has the same appearance towards a butterfly.
We also see that he was missed when he died and we see that he speaks of "collected legends" suggesting to us that he told tales and stories to people. From this we are able to see that Abse is telling us that the tears that fall down people's faces are not from the stories but of this mans' death.
Throughout the remains of the poem we see that Dylan Thomas was a great importance within Abse life and was strongly influenced by his work. The final stanzas depict to the audience that he was important due to how he uses the words "nighingale dark nor in the canary light". From this we get the impression that there is hope represented in both. "nightingale dark" could link to the fact of how the soldiers had the lady of the lamp to help them through the night showing us this resemblance of hope within the dark and is also shown with the use of the light. From all this we see that his death was sudden with the line, "the yolk broke in his head" and finally we see that his death was quick as it ends the stanza of the poem.
Another Larkin poem that would link into this as I have said before would be For Sydney Bechet due to how it portrays the sense of a memorable character. Although people may be unaware of this character we know that Dylan Thomas had a great influence on Abse making him a memorable person to the writer.

Dylan - Dannie Abse

From within this short poem created by Abse we get the thought that the persona is talking about the notion of idols and heroes that are dead. From within the first short stanza we get the words, "A heard silence" we see that their is greating loss within this room and the silence, normally known to be stated as nothing, was heard by everyone could suggest that this death has had a powerful impact upon the people. It appears as though silence has taken over.
From the line, "A stone dropped down the well" we get the use of imagery by Abse and from this get the notion of how that silence is broken so easily with the scuffle of the stone and the echo it creates as it hits the water below. Perhaps this is a metaphor created by Abse which portrays Dylans slow fall to death and the sharp sound of the splash at the end is the shock for everyone that knew and loved him when hearing his death.
As we continue on to the next stanza we see that Dylan had nothing before and is placed as being reckless due to the word "arson". From within the beginning of this stanza we see that Dylan had nothing from the word "impecunious" and continuing with the line we see his life was "like water spilled from a cupped hand". From this we get the impression that perhaps Dylan had a great deal of support from other around him but there was only so much they could take of him. Even with the hands held firmly together, the water is still able to escape and we see that from this similie that Dylan was beginning to loose the support of others throughout this time.
From within the end of the stanza we see that fame came towards him and we see that there could be his desire towards women with the use of the words "lust" and "pimp". From this we see that Dylan might of helped people get their desired lust and gained money by doing so, but had little respect towards the women. The line, "wearing jewels over her sores" supports this due to her covering herself up with the money she has gained. From this however we see that he was not a liked man and we see this due to her words at the end of the poem saying, "Dilly, Dilly come and be killed". From this negative line we see that he was not a loved man as we appeared to of thought at the beginning of the poem. He was really caring only for himself and took what he needed. A poem by Larkin that would link to Abse would be the poem For Sydney Bechet due to how it portrays people that had an importance of life. Myself personally think that the poem Afternoons or Faith Healing is a good example as well due to them showing a negative approach to women also.

At Ogmore-by-Sea this August Evening - Dannie Abse

From this poem we can see that one of the key themes is the sense of loss with a loved one. From within this poem we see that the persona is talking of his father and we see that he is remembered through music. From the line, "who, self-taught, scraped upon an obstinate violin" we are able to see that the father was a very independant man and was pashionate towards teaching himself to play the violin. From the word "obstinate" we get the sense that he was stubborn and was unable to change his beliefs or views into various thoughts. From this we could get the interpretation that the father might of been bad at playing but continued nonetheless of everyones thoughts of his playing.
We also see the link of music within the poem Reference Back by Larkin which portrays to us the sense of loss being brought back by music. Both pieces show us that the memories of this is linked towards music, like the mother and son within Larkin's poem.
As we continue through the poem we see that music is a powerful and important piece throughout due to the line, "Such Power! The music summons night". From this the audience gets the impression that music is a controlling part of this personas life and we see that his father had a great deal to do with it. From within the second stanza we get the notion of death appearing due to the phrase, "death-boat black". From this we get the interpretation that there isn't any hope due to the use of the colour "black" and that this loss is perminant due to how everything has gone dark from the setting sun.
As we continue through the poem we see that the sense of loss is also portrayed once more. From the beginning lines of the stanza, "I see you jubilantly lit, an ordered carnival" we get the impression of his father being happy and with the use of the word "lit" we can suggest that he is now a ghost that has returned. From this line we see that he is no longer of this world but of another and shows us the loss that the persona has.
We then get the memory of a favourite place to the father and we see that it represents a positive view to the audience due to how the persona is remembering the memories they had there whilst fishing. This also has the notion of being negative also due to how the memory brings sadness to the persona.
From within the final stanza we see a great range of language used to show us another key theme of death, by the words, "his skeleton stands". Finally we get the line, "The ciaccona's over, the record played, there's nothing but the tumult of the sea". From this the audience can see that the memory of his father is still strong within the persona and with this line we see that once the piece has finished playing, the persona can only hear the busy waves of the sea below. From this we get the notion that even when the memory fades, nothing has changed and his father is still dead and it is all just a memory and that reality must continue on. This can also link into the poem Here by Philip Larkin due to how he ends his piece with standing near the sea. From this similarity between the two poems we see that reality is beginning to sink in as each of the persona's within the poems are now deciding what they shall do next within their lives.

The Death of Aunt Alice

From this poem we can clearly see just by looking at the title that Abse is talking about a loved one within a family. Throughout the first stanza we see that it is a mournful appearance due to the imagery of a funeral being shown. From the first stanza we are able to pick out that they are within mourning due to the dark colours they are wearing and with how they talk of the aunt by saying, "Poor Alice". We also get the reference that Aunt Alice might of been a religious person due to the phrase, "your bible Page One".
From the next stanzas we see that Aunt Alice had a wild imagination and always spoke of unpleasant things at unconvenient times. From the phrase, "You talked of typhiod when we sat to eat; Fords on the M4, mangled, upside down, just when we were going for a spin" we can see the sense of humour being brought in by the persona for it shows how coincidental Aunt Alice began to create these tales. We begin to see that her imagination was fully alive and never dulled when she came to the age of an adult unlike many adults shown within Larkins poems. An example of loosing imagination within Larkins poems would  be The Study of Reading Habits. Withint his poem by Larkin we see the change of time with the persona and his love of books. As time continues we see his notions and beliefs within these books begins to change as well as his strong imagination he had when he was a child. Within Abse' poem however, we see no change come to this Aunt.
From these stanzas we see just how bazzare and unnatural her mind was and becomes humourous to the audience with sayings such as, "Pitty she ended up in a concrete-mixer".
Then within the final stanza we begin to see the reference of her no longer being with us and has fully died due to the line, "But now, never again, Alive will you utter" and "Disasters that lit your eyes will no more". From this we see that another key link within this poem is death and we are able to see that clearly through these lines. Another Larkin poem that will link to this would be An Arundel Tomb. I find this poem links well into The Death of Aunt Alice due to various reasons. One is due to the fact that there is love represented within both poems. One from the dead couple and the other of the family of Aunt Alice. Another notion is also of the reference of them both being dead but are still remembered. Aunt Alice is remembered due to her gory and horrid stories and the couple remembered due to their tomb that remains. Finally the audience is able to piece a story of the couple within the tomb by the words in the play and it continues to live on through time like the tomb itself has. We also see this notion of being remembered due to the stories within Aunt Alice with how she will continue to tell her horrific stories to the saints that are within heaven and is proven by the line, "pale saints listen... all their tall stories, your eternity".

A Letter from Ogmore - Dannie Abse

From this poem created by Abse the audience is able to make the link that he is talking of the theme time and how it has slowly drifted by us. From looking at time throughout these stanzas we are able to see that with the use of a few historical names such as "Hiroshima? Auschwitz?".We also see within the first two stanzas the use of repitition with the phrase, "Goodbye, 20th Century" which also shows us that the persona is talking about the past and the impact it has had to many people throughout the years with various events that have taken place.
As we continue through the poem we also see the the persona is speaking as though he is becoming part of the history and the past with the phrase, "nostalgia is becoming history". From this we see that he has this longing of a certain period within the past and is so desperate that he is beginning to try to push himself into that memory of the past that was within the 20th Century.
"A genealogy of ghosts" also links into this reference of the past, due to how it states that in time his friends and many others have began to make their ancestrial chain grow. This is a good example of linking to the poem by Larkin known as An Arundel Tomb. This poem links due to how it shows the notion of time quickly passing and the whole thought of things becoming old and ancient over this period of time. From An Arundel Tomb we get the use of medieval imagery coming through by Larkin whilst with Abse we get a more up to date time period that the audience would be much more aware of.
We also see the notion of loved ones fading due to the phrase, "Goodbye, I-must-leave-you-Dolly, goodbye Lily Marlene".  From looking at this we are able to see that we have no power with what occurs and as time continues on we begin to lose people that are close to us and this phrase shares the reference that losing loved lost ones is commen with the aging of time.
Another key phrase within Abse' poem is the questioning of the future with, "Has the Past always a future?". From this the audience is able to see a notion of Abse' beliefs or doubts throughout this poem. From this line we are able to depict that there is questioning of whatever has occured in the past, might not be certain of a future. A possibility of this would World War one and two due to how many soldiers lost their lives and ended up with no future but are now placed as being parts of the past. This is a key example from what I believe Abse is trying to say towards the audience. Another poem by Larkin that would link to this notion would be MCMXIV for its rememberance to the past of the First World War. Larkin talks of how it was within the past and I feel from the point I made from Abse, it is also representing the past towards an event like this.
Within the final stanza we see that the time has now caught up to our era and we see the drastic change that has occured from before. We see that this also links into the poem Here by Larkin due to how it talks about scenery and the imagery it portrays to the readers.

Uncle Isidore - Dannie Abse

From within the first stanza of this poem we are able to see that the persona is seeing various things and people that remind him of his Uncle Isidore. We get this from the word "observe" and as we continue through the stanza we see that his status is observed with the similie of "sprawled like Karl Marx". From this we see that Uncle Isidore is portrayed to be like a memorable person within history. This links into the poem For Sydney Bechet for he was also a memorable figure towards people. As we continue through this stanza we see that Abse is not positive towards his Uncle and places him as being "smelly, schnorror and lemon-tea bolshevik". From this rule of three we see that there is a negative approach for he is placed as a begger and unattractive by the persona.
The notion of him being a begger is supported with the phrase, "slumped, dead or asleep". This suggests to the audience that he is lazy and doesnt do a lot of things which could link to him as being this begger, or even a tramp.
As we move on to stanza two we see more links into historical events throughout time. From the phrase, "Before Auschwitz, Treblinka, he seemed near, those days of local progoms, five year programmes". Throughout this phrase we see continuous elements of historical notes which could relate towards the time of the second World War and the various links to the Russian Revolution. From this we can link to the poem MCMXIV due to it talking about war and its significance. They are both appearing to show various elements of being historical but from different times.
Later on within this stanza we see that this poem is also placed on beliefs with the line, "Have you no shame, compassion? Don't you care at all?". From within this line we see that the persona is stating to us that Uncle Isidore is guesting his views to God. It seems as though he is beginning to doubt everything that he stands for or is arguing against his God for not caring due to what is happening. This could link into the text of the second World War and the building of the concentration camps where many Jews died, this therefore could link to the fact that like Abse, his uncle was a Jew too.
We then see that his Uncle grows into a powerful speaker with the line, ""What difference between the silence of God and the silence of men?" showing people that they are able to stand up for what they belief in and not rely upon God to do something. This poem can therefore link into the various short poems created by Larkin which portrays his views and beliefs within God. For example the poem Nothing To Be Said by Larkin portrays to the readers the sense of death and no matter what you do you will die. This links into Abse' poem due to how it reflects on the amount of deaths that occured within the second World War from troops, innocent people, but also the Jews within the camps. We then a get a change in scenery with this notion of the sky changing and a "serious rain" beginning to fall. We get the notion that due to Uncle Isidore's outburst we see that he has not only angered people that have heard his remark, but also the reference of him angering God.
Finally within the final stanza we see that there is a notion that Uncle Isidore is really dead and this could just be a memory from the persona with how it shows us the arrival of the doctor. Also within the end of this poem we see that he is placed as being wild due to how he is playing the violin and plays towards God once more.

Sons - Dannie Abse

From within this poem we instantly get the impression of Abse talking to us on how is son acts and what he is like. We see that he is much like his dad when he is at this age and we can instantly make the link to another one of Abse's poems Imitations with how he refers to his son appearing like him as time goes on.
From within this poem we get a sense of imagery used to portray to us how his son is like with the different elements that are found within Cardiff. We see this within the first stanza with how Abse is portraying to us readers that change has occured on the lands of Cardiff and that everything is restricted unlike before. We see this from the line, "captured acres played at being small tamed gardens; the concrete way roads supplanted grass, wild flowers, bosky paths". The audience is able to see that change has occured within Cardiff due to the word "supplanted" within the text. Also from the words, "wild flowers" we are able to make the link of that associating with Abse' son. He is wild and uncontrollable like the flowers that use to grow in the outskirts and further more links on to the part of poem where Abse states his maturity will soon switch on, like how the flowers and grass was replaced too.
From within the second stanza we are able to make the link to the Larkin poem of Dockery and Son with the phrase, "I was like that". Within this line we see the relationship between the father and son and links into Larkins poem for that is the key theme held within it. They are both alike within their youth at the time. Further on within this stanza we get the impression of Abse perhaps talking about the struggles that his son is facing with going into that age of becoming mature and is uncertain with it all due to the word "Nowhere". He brings out a negative aspect to this stanza and gives the audience a sense that his son is beginning to see the change that is to occur with him when he begins to grow up.
Within the last stanza we also get the impression that the persona is remembering how it was for him when the reality of being mature came into his life and allows us to link into the poem Reference Back by Larkin. This poem is able to link into it for it represents a sense of loss and this poem links into that theme with how the boy will soon lose his sense of fun and imagination and begin to get the mature adult life that is coming his way. It also could link to this poem for the mother listened to music to remember her youth and we see in this poem that the persona is remembering his youth with looking at his own son.

Imitations - Dannie Abse

From within this poem we see that Abse is portraying to the audience the similarities that he and his son both have. This poem is a key example of representing time due to how it goes on through the stanzas of the spring weather falling into winter and then coming back into spring once more. Also throughout the seasons we then see that his son is becoming to appear more like Abse and is though he is seeing a younger self due to this. We get this notion that his son is beginning to appear like him due to the phrase, "He is my chameleon" which implies to us readers that he has adapted like how is father is and is beginning to appear like him.
We also see that within the middle stanza that the relationship between him and his son isnt that close due to how he is not aware of what is occuring in his sons life. This is similar to how he was when he was a boy and how his father felt within that time. We see this within the line, "my father alive again (I, his duplicate)" which supports this notion that they are similar to past generations. They both have the same bond that each father and son have had and over the changes of the seasons we see this occur more and more until they are both very similar to each other.
Throughout this poem we get a wide use of imagery due to various metaphors and the use of an oxymoron of the words "soft diamond".
Poems that are link in well to the themes of family bonds, time and nature would be Dockery and Son, An Arundel Tomb and the common one known as Here.
An Arundel Tomb links in well to the theme of time but has a difference towards it. This poem shows us the difference that in time things do not change and as for the tomb of this couple remains there for centuries we see that the only change is the privacy of it but not the craftswork upon it. Abse poem shows the theme of time passing like Larkins' poem but shows us that within this time we see the boy becoming more and more like his father as time goes on and will result in the end to seem as though he was looking in a mirror.
The poem Here links in well due to the scenery described. Abse portrays a clear use of imagery to us readers with the creatures and nature and Larkin does this also within Here.
Finally the poem Dockery and Son links in well due to this bond between father and son. Dockery and Son states well that his son is also within the same university that Dockery use to go to, and Abse poem shows us the similarity the father and son have towards each other with the key line, "He is my chameleon".

Return to Cardiff - Dannie Abse

From within the first stanza we see that Abse is portraying to us the memories that Cardiff has to him and we see a typical teenager coming from the imagery used.
As we continue through the poem we begin to see that all of the surroundings that Abse was once familiar with have no become unnatural and have an eerie sense due to Abse feeling uncertain of them as he continues back home. We can see that Abse is recollecting the memories that he had within Cardiff and as he returns back we see that all is unclear for time has gone by alot quicker then the persona has expected making everything change a lot more.
From within this we see that things have changed through the phrases, "the mile-wide Taff now a stream" and "the castle not as in some black, gothic dream, but a decent sprawl, a joker's toy facade". From both these phrases we see that time has changed his opinions and views on these things and an example of this would be from the description as a castle. From what appears to be something dark and eerie and a common place for teenagers to hang around at night is now changed into a place where we get the impression he laughs at. We see a slight piece of humour come into the poem with "a joker's toy facade" and see that he laughs at the appearance of it now compared to how he thought of it before.
As we move on through the poem we then see a different memory of a loved one being shown and we therefore see a reoccurance from his past being shown. From the description of his grandfather being, "the white, enormous face" and "suddenly aghast with certain news" we see that his grandfather is now dead and we get the impression as though he has not returned to Cardiff ever since his grandfather was alive. This is presented to appear as a shock to the reader through the description due to the words "aghast" and "white".
As we continue through this poem we see that he continues to portray various images to the reader to show us how much time has changed the place he knew very well.
Poems that link in well to this would be Here, Dockery and Son and also Send No Money.
The poem Here by Larkin links into Abse due to how they both have the theme of nature and place and we see that Larkin and Abse both do this within these poems. Also within the poem Dockery and Son the audience can see the notion of time repeating itself and how similar the next generation is. For example within Dockery and Son we see that Larkin's friend Dockery use to go to university with him and now over time Dockery's son is within the same state. In Abse' poem we see that Abse is recalling on walking down these streets when he was younger and the key notion within the final stanza, of which we can imagine the past and the present Abse walking down the same street and passing one another. This then links onto the final poem by Larkin known as Send No Money. I found this poem to link into Return to Cardiff because it showed the key consept of time going by very quickly. Larkin shows us that he has gone by without noticing how much he has observed and watched things instead of getting on with his life and has now come to realise that he is already half way through. Within Abse' poem we see that there is a sudden shock of reality when he is returning to Cardiff and the thought of how different everything is as well as himself too. He has also changed since he has last been there not only stating that his surroundings have changed, but he has as well making him seem unfamiliar to a great deal of people.

Cricket Ball - Dannie Abse

From this poem we see that the key theme is based upon memories of the persona. This poem is about looking back at a cricket match Dannie Abse went to when he was a boy and portrays his thoughts and notions of the game whilst watching.
From the poem we see that he describes the game and how the ball curves and flies across the grounds and once hit a window pane of a hotel. After this description we then see that the persona begins to describe their desire of it rising higher than ever before. From this long stanza we are able to see that Abse is portraying to us the rise to fame and fortune and how easy it is for us to imagine this.
We see from the first stanza however, there is more freedom shown due to there being no fame towards the players of the cricket team giving us a more positive aspect to the game.
Also within this poem we see that the whole surroundings during the game are placed as being positive and show a much more enjoyable experience with the phrase, "applauding ground".
Continuing through this poem we see that Abse begins to show us the notion of life choices as the ball flies much higher suggesting the ball could be portrayed as a metaphor to the audience to indicate greater things in life are possible to anyone.
The key themes within this poem would be memory, life and sport. Larkins poem Love Songs in Age is a good example of memory due to how the music sheets provide a hint for the persona to bring the memory back. This cricket ball is a reminder for Abse and another one of Abse' poems which would link into it would be the poem Two Photographs for this also triggers off the memory.
Another poem would be For Sydney Bechet for it shows a memorable figure just like this game that Abse has informed us about. From Larkins poem we see that it shows us great passion on a specific topic, music being his, whilst for Abse we see throughout the positive passion for sport shown.

Blond Boys - Dannie Abse

From looking at the poem of Blond Boys we see that it is a memory poem and contains the theme of romance also. From within the beginning of the poem we see that the persona is completely in love with this girl known as Eva Jones but is placed as being negative due to the fact that she does not love him back.
We see how much the persona loved this girl due to various words such as "first shy love", "I held my breath" and "forever". From these words we see that the persona is a shy and shows us the various emotions the persona is feeling informing us that we can easily relate towards the poem much easier unlike Larkins. We also see that the persona hides away and is really a watcher when describing her on her impressive bike and therefore is a link to Larkin for he too observes within the poem, The Whitsun Weddings. This poem and The Whitsun Weddings both link together for they both portray the sense of love towards a persona and also the persona observing. In TWW we see that Larkin (the persona) is watching this young couple and that their is the knowledge of this being a young couple being married showing excitement towards the readers. Abse' poem links into this for the persona is also watching, but this time watching the person he loves not the people. There is also the link between the notion that the persona and the girl are young, like the couple within TWW.
Also from within Abse poem we see that they were close and their was a great bond together, similar to the poem Love Songs In Age with the mother and son bond they had together.
Within the final stanza of the poem we then see the love dying drastically as the persona is rejected and see the more jealous side towards blond boys.
Altogether we see that a key poem that links into these themes would be Wild Oats due to the thought of rejection and loss occuring within the end but also the fact of love blossoming at the beginning.
There is also the notion of the choice between two lovers. Unlike Larkin we see that it was he who had to choose between two lovers whilst with Abse he was one of the choices. Although both poems are similar with the notion of choice, we see that each poet writes about it differently, the side of being in control and power (Larkin) and the wonder of being chosen (Abse)

Two Photographs - Dannie Abse

From this poem we see that their is a straight forward view on the appearance and thoughts of two women. One being Doris, the other, Annabella. Within this poem we begin to get various images of what the women look like and how there personalities differ from each other.
From reading Two Photographs we see that Annabella is the most feminine out of the two whilst Doris is more rebellious and does what she wants to do. From the first stanza stating, "How slim she appears, how vulnerable, Pretty" we see that this supports the notion of her being the more feminine out of the two women and the quotation stating, "How portly she looks, formidable, Handsome" we see that Doris has more male features than Annabella. From within the description we also see that these two women did not like each other, but Abse loves them both just as much.
As we continue through the poem we see that there is humour shown with the word "Cheese" and "Chalk" which implies to us that Abse' love is more real to these women whilst Larkin gets what he wants and does not truly love something/one.
Throughout the stanzas we also see the use of alliteration of the letter "D" and also the use of imagery to portray us these two women from two photographs.
Various poems that will link to this would be Home Is So Sad, Selfs the Man, Reference Back and Broadcast.
Self's the Man links to this poem due to how the two women are contrasted together in the third stanza. The words of their descriptions are placed in the listing device to come across as being far more powerful. Larkins poem of Reference Back is able to be similar with Abse with how their is something that triggers of the memory before. For Larkin it was the music sheets whilst in Abse it was the two photographs.
Home Is So Sad and also Mr Bleaney link in well due to how they two women are portrayed as when time and age occur within the poem. Both poems link in due to the description of an unloved house that is messy and alone.
Finally the poem Broadcast links into Abse' poem due to the philisophical ending we see from the final stanza. They are unaware of being observed later on in life and the phrase, "I never lived" implies to us that the dead are only able to exist if the people that knew and loved them can remember them stating the form of loss within the poem.
Altogether we see various similarities between the two poets and also see the difference of Larkin placing a more negative aspect of women unlike Abse who is more positive. 

Musical Moments 2 - Dannie Abse

Musical Moments 2 (Outside a Graveyard)

From within this piece we see that death is a key theme throughout this poem. We see that time has gone  by and the thought of relief that was from the first part of Musical Moments is now gone and only lonliness and sadness remains.
From within the first poem we see the relief of having this final lesson with this teacher and shows to us as though he had little care for her or what he was doing. But when we come into the second part of this poem we see that he is mournful and respectful of her due to various lines such as, "Sorry, Miss Crouch, now that you are dismissed forever" and "so unassuming and gentle". As we continue through this poem we see the notion of memories occur due to the second stanza and then the final one brings a more joyful ending to the audience.
We see a link to Larkin with not only the notion of a memory occuring but also of Abse observing like how Larkin does within his own poems. The stanza portrays this sense of romance between Miss Crouch and music and therefore shows us the link between various pieces such as Broadcast and Love Songs in Age. These two poems link to Abse due to how they are show a strong bond the persona is feeling all by listening to music.
We then get this final stanza which portrays a positive note with how the persona can see Miss Crouch performing within a concert hall instead of sitting and listening or teaching unwilling students. We get a grim background portrayed with the use of the gargoyles and various other parts of the church but are provided with this positive image as we look up towards the sky and see this image of Miss Crouch leaving earth. From this we get a difference between the two poets from the notion of death. From both we see that when someone dies we are all sad and in mourning for their loss but the difference between them is that Larkin states that when you die that is it. Time is up for you and you can do nothing now that you are dead. Larkin is basically portraying the sense that there is nothing after you die. Abse on the other hand portrays this imagery which states to us we have our own vision of what heaven looks like due to his description of Miss Crouch. Abse is once again placed as being the positive poet due to his beliefs of their being a heaven portayed in this poem. From seeing this poem we see that their are similarities and differences to the poems and by the poets too.

Musical Moments 1 - Dannie Abse

Musical Moments 1 (The Last Piano Lesson)

From within this poem we see the boredom and dismay caused by having a regular piano lesson showing us that one of the key themes is music. From this we see that music is not enjoyed within this poem unlike Larkin who shows a more positive aspect towards music. Larkin portrays music within poems such as Love Songs in Age and Reference Back. From Love Songs in Age we see the theme of memory come up with how music brings back the good memories whilst Reference Back is to do with the relationship between a mother and son who share this strong bond with music. Although Abse links into the theme of music to Larkin, he does not portray the sense of memory or a connection towards people. Within his we find a negative impression brought out due to various words and phrases he uses. Examples of this would be "Numbly bored" and "pointless" suggest to us that for the child this is not enjoyable but is really a chore. Music is placed as being dull and boring in this piece with the continuous flow of scales and pieces that the child is use to is being played. Whilst in Broadcast we get the difference from Larkin of the shocking and gripping music piece that allows the audience to be hooked into.
We see that music is not loved in this house due to the phrase, "a coffin of music" which portrays to us that music is dead and unwanted making the connection to Larkin on the theme death. Poems that link to the theme death would be Ambulances for we associate these vehicles with being the choice of life and death towards people.
From this poem we see a different side of Abse as he portrays a negative feel to the audience instead of the more positive poems he has created before. This is also a link towards Larkin for Larkin portrays a lot of his beliefs and ideas in his poems as being negative. There is also the notion of the child being rebellious with how he does not wish to do this lesson and we see a sudden change of mood when the lesson comes to an end.

At The Concert - Dannie Abse

From within this poem we see that the first two stanzas are describing the motionless animals that Abse has seen. From this we get the impression of these animals, the sheep and the horse, to be bored and act like they are frozen in time. This then links onto his next line where he is explaining just how this women in the same row as him in the concert is frozen in time whilst listening to the music. She is absorbed in the music and listens to it as though her life depends on it. From this we are able to make the link from this poem to a Larkin poem with the theme of music. Some of Larkins poems such as Reference Back and Broadcast are about music but each have a different meaning to them. The one i find that suits to this poem the most would be Broadcast with how it explores the music that is within the concert. Although Abse is doing the same with explaining how people are fixed within this music and we see this from Larkin with how silent the room appears until the roar of applause at the end, we see that the difference to these poems is how Larkin is showing us a specific girl he feels connected to whilst Abse is trying to connect with everyone due to all the questions he is asking the audience.
From within this stanza and we see this bundle of questions thrown at us is portraying the notion that we will always have questions untill we are old and weak with his line stating on the old peoples home. From this we can also make the link to Larkin with the theme of time going past us and the thought of unanswered questions from the poem Send No Money. This link stating to us about time being limited is shown through both poets and we see that Abse is asking questions to the reader similar to how Larkin does at times. Throughout the rest of the poem we see Abse pretending to listening to this music but is really fixed on other matters and thoughts that are occuring within his head. We then get the final stanza creating an image of his cat sitting peacefully in silence but still shows a dull and boring setting to the readers. This links into the animals that appeared like statues in the beginning of the poem but this time the animal is more relaxed and at peace with time wasting by. We finally see that Abse would rather do the same and watch the tree within his garden through his window. From this we see the similarity that he does not mind time to go past him and we see the link towards him and Larkin with how he relates to the audience as being an observer in this poem, like how Larkin does in The Whitsun Weddings.

Red Balloon - Dannie Abse

From within this poem we get the impression of Abse talking in a more negative way unlike many of his usual poems. From this we see the link between Larkin with having the persona talk negatively and links into his poem of Ambulances. The link between these two poems is that they both have the notion of when something bad is occuring it makes the audience clearly feel sad and just how much society can cause us to feel this way. There is also the similarity of the notion of blood from these poems, from Larkin merely stating the name ambulances gives us the impression of something unpleasant and in pain whilst with Abse he not only repeats this word but is shown to us with the colour red within the title.
Also from this poem we see that Abse is showing the struggle Jews had within their life and how they were mocked and hurt no matter what there age. We see the struggle that Abse had and shows the strength and freedom this balloon gives to the boy with how it refuses to pop. From this we see that no matter what people say or feel about the Jews, they will always be there and cannot be taken away. They have there own life to live like anyone else, no matter what their religion or beliefs. From this we get the link to Larkin with another poem due to the notion of being different or out of place compared to other people. The poem I find that shows this would be Talking in Bed due to how the couple appear within the book. Generally we would think of a couple that would be in love and happy with eachother but this couple is different to others. Larkin portrays this notion of them not saying anything to not upset the other and so sit in silence, they keep quiet to not upset their partner and are classed out of the word with how isolation is brought into this. Larkins poem links to Red Balloon with how the persona appears to be placed as different due to being a Jew and also the thought of this red balloon being the only one around. It is bright, and eye catching making it different to everyone that sees it. From within this poem we therefore see the key themes are religion and isolation.

A Scene from Married Life - Dannie Abse

From this poem we then see a sudden difference to how Abse talks about his wife to the audience. Through this poem we see that this really is a different side to what we see from couples and therefore fits into the title well. With having the title named, "A Scene from Married Life" we see that this is one side that hardly anyone can see behind all the smiles and laughs. This poem is about an argument Abse and his wife have had and fits in well with the title due to the fact that it is one of many scenes within someones marriage.
From this poem we see that they were trying to get back at one another through the phrase, "fast barbed words that made the other squirm and fed flushed indignatiom, verbel revenge". From this we see that they were both trying to hurt each other and both wanted revenge due to this argument. Abse portrays the notion that there is no love when they are trying to fight, but merely greed for each one is trying to make the other more hurt then what they feel. It is a game of greed towards these partners. We also see a similar come into the poem through the second stanza which implies to us that their marriage is dying, "a dead bird eaten by the early worm". Abse has twisted the usual saying of the early bird catches the worm and placed into a different aspect. From this we see that the higher status (the bird) has fallen and is now being eaten by the much weaker prey of the worm. From this we get the impression that Abse has regretted his actions and now feels like this. He is the dead bird and regrets all what he has said to his wife but appears as though she has not.
Abse then goes on to talking about the sea and how dangerous and frustrated it appears. We see the notion of him comparing to his wife with the words "fussy sea" and we see that he is describing how he and his wife is through the similarities in nature. Larkin does this within various poems and a good example of this would be Here. Within that poem we see that Larkin explains the use of the scenery to tell us the true fact of human nature and how unprepared we are for anything throughout. Both poets express their opinions within nature but with different meaning. Larkin uses nature to inform us that we are never certain on what we are going to do next, while Abse coninues to be a far more personal poet to us with writing about the link he has between him and his wife through nature.
With Abse also talking about the film we get two different possible meanings that are from the poem. One would be that Abse feels as though the argument is all a natural process within any married life and like a movie, will continue on as though nothing has occured and hope for a hollywood ending. The other meaning would be the fact that it takes time to heal and like how a movie takes time to be made, Abse' marriage will take time to recover from this argument.
From within the final stanza we see the thought that what ever happens to him and his wife, they will continue to fight no matter what. With having Abse sit at his desk and can hear the children instead of his own writing, we see that no matter how much he tries to block it out, fights will always occur between the married couple. It is a natural process but has a negative side towards it.
Another poem that would link to this by Larkin would Talking In Bed for it portrays the notion of a couple not doing anything so neither one can get hurt. Both poets express the notion of a couple finding it hard to talk without hurting the other partner and therefore show us a common link.

Last Visit to 198 Cathedral Road - Dannie Abse

From this poem we are able to see that Abse is talking about a room within his parents house which appears to be dark and gloomy towards the audience. We get the sense that the theme of neglection is shown within the first and second stanza and links into the poem Home is so Sadas it describes the room that appears lonely and unwanted. Larkin and Abse both perform a view on lonliness occuring within their poems and with the use of metaphors and personification, we see just that.
Throughout this poem created by Abse we also see that he is too talking about the contrast between life and death. Throughout this poem he uses various words which portray this meaning and also comes across to the reader that the persona has a harsh and cruel voice when the poem is spoken due to these words. Examples of these words would be the contrast between the phrase, "Living room, did I say? Dying room, rather". From this contrast we see that even in places that imply a sense of warmth and happiness with having people you love within this room, there is always a notion that you can still be alone and silent. This room implies to us also the belief that no matter what we do or place within a room we will always die. This links into the notion that Larkin presents within his poems about how we live and do not realise that time is a key essence throughout our lives and we are not aware of this until we come close to death. Larkin and Abse both portray the sense of lonliness, death and isolation well within this poem by Abse, as well as Home Is So Sad by Larkin. Another poem that would link to this thought would be Mr Bleaney with how he portrays the sense of lonliness now that Mr Bleaney has moved out. Both rooms appear to be unwanted and unloved and have lost their magic with how dark and sinister they appear to the audience through the use of similies. A good one that Abse uses within his poem is the first line, "When, like a burglar".

Abse uses a great deal of personification to inform us what is in the room and how this room feels now that no one enters it. As he sits within his father chair we see that "the vase that yawned hideously the pattern that ran up the curtain... in the room that was out of breath" and we are informed in how much has been affected due to being alone. Abse states within these phrases that this room is also old like his father that sat in that chair. We also see this due to the great deal of dust that has been collected in the room over time and this poem is a great deal like Home Is So Sad by Larkin.
We also see that this poem is about saying good bye with the name of the poem having "Last Visit". This suggest to us further that he is unable to return and makes the poem appear far more mourning due to this thought.
Altogether this poem is a good example of how similar Abse and Larkin are at writing about lonliness and death.

A Winter Visit - Dannie Abse

From this poem the audience is able to see that Abse is talking about his mother and how age has affected her. From within this poem we get key words and description which enable us to portray what Abse is trying to say to the audience. From within the first stanza we see the line, "too cold, the usual peacocks do not screech and neighbouring lights come on before its dark." suggests to us how lifeless and cruel the local park appears to Abse due to the sudden change to the season. Winter is portrayed as to being cold and dark and gloomy and is shown with the description Abse has given to us with the detail of the peacocks. There is also the notion that there is little colour within this scene for winter gives just one simple colour whilst other seasons provide a wide range of colours towards the audience.
Throughout this poem we get the sense of colours becoming faded throughout due to various words such as "spring forth all the colours". This portrays a sense of welcoming and warmth that is provided from the peacocks tail once its opened but is rarely seen within the winter days due to the cold causing the colours to become lost and withered. The sense of of loss is also shown with how his mother is now "so aged and so frail" implying to us that her time of being bright and colourful within her life has come to an end. She is now withering like a flower and closing up.
From within another stanza we also see the phrase "I inhabit a white coat not a black" which informs to us that he has to act professional due to his white coat but its coming close to him having to wear the black coat for his mother is slowly dying due to her age.
From within this poem we see the connections towards Abse and Larkin through various poems. Both poets show the themes of loss, aging and time, death and love. From these themes we are able to see that some key poems that would link into A Winter Visit would be Reference Back, Love Songs in Age and Send No Money. From these poems we are able to see the links between the poems such as Reference Back to be on the bond between a parent and child and the love they share for each other. There is also the sense of loss within that poem for Larkin suggests the seperation between these two people whilst Abse is portraying the slow decay of this women which is resulting in a far greater loss.
There is also the link to the poem Love Songs in Age for it is showing the reader how time passes by without our acknowledgement. This is shown in Larkins poem due to the memories that are brought from these music sheets which show us how easily we are able to forget within time. Abse also portrays this due to the fact of how time has rapidly gone by since his mother is now old and frail and has little time left to live. Abse also portrays this to the notion of all the colours being faded once winter has come to show this sense of how time has taken over.
Finally the poem of Send No Money links into Abse work due to the notion of time once more. When Larkin wrote this he was at the age of forty and we see how quick half his life has gone by him so easily throughout this poem.
There is still that notion of each poet being different on connecting to the audience. Larkin still appears to be dull and cold towards the readers whilst Abse remains as the warming and personal poet throughout these poems so far.

The Malham Bird - Dannie Abse

From with just reading this poem by the poet Abse, the audience is able to get the impression of a memory occuring from his past with his wife. We see that the key themes within this poem are based upon memory and love due to how much he can remember about his time spent with his wife and how he enjoyed it portraying a positive approach towards the audience. We see his love for her wife the words, "Dear wife" and how close he is to her but also with how different they are due to the fact that he is a Jew whilst she is not and is seen within the last line of the stanza. He gives descriptions of the room where they stayed and of what they did which shows us that Abse is a personal poet for we get the impression that he treasures this memory in his life very much and gives him happiness to talk about it.
As we continue to look through this poem we see that the birds is based upon a religious theme with how it lives in paradise forever due to the fact it did not eat the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. From the line, "when others singing pecked forbidden fruit" we get the thought of these birds being restricted and unable to have the full benefit of life due to this notion of their being rules. We see that the birds have however followed the rules and have benefited with making the right choice for they are being able to sing.
From within this poem we see that Abse has provided us with this positive imagery of a memory and has used a wide range of metaphors to portray that to us. On this poem we are able to make similarities and differences towards the two poets due to the themes and ideas they provide to us. A similarity to this poem would be the theme links of religion, memory and love. A key poem that fits well into The Malham Bird would be The Whitsun Weddings due to how they portray a positive approach to a couple that love each other. Although there is some negativity within Larkin's writing we do see that he is mainly describing the whole scene whilst Abse is more focused on the couple and the moment they are sharing together. This also allows us to link to the poem As Bad As A Mile due to the point about the Garden of Eden and the forbidden fruit within the tree. From this we see that both poets believe that our lives our controlled by rules and we are constantly restricted. However a differerence from these two poets would be how Larkin is more of an observer within his poems whilst Abse is able to connect much easier to his audience due to the fact that he is more personal and open within his writing.

Naturally The Foundation Will Bear Your Expenses - Larkin

From this short poem we can see that the first stanza is about Larkin trailing around the world to show his lecture notes before he is able to have it published on radio. From this we get various words which show this occuring such as "Comet", "Bombay" and "Chatto". From these words we see that he is travelling to Bombay to deliver his lecture once more and the Chatto being a publisher that he is able to have his work published after he has done this.
From the middle stanza we see it change to a negative view towards the day known as Remembrance Day. From this we get various words such as "solemn-sinister" which imply to us that the Government is putting on an act for all the men that have lost their lives and not really being sympathetic. They are showing a solemn face to the public making it sinister for they are not really feeling what families and friends of those men truly feel. It is placed as also being ironic for they are showing the public that they care and yet continue to send soldiers out to fight in wars.
From the phrase, "Had made my taxi late" and "colourless" we see that Larkin has little care towards these people dressed in black for he nearly missed his plane abroad. He finds it to be tedious and we see a very cruel attack from Larkin from the words "Wreath-rubbish".
From the final stanza we see Larkin take the thought of England to be childish and not grown up due to the fact that they still go on about fallen men all those years ago. From the line, "O When will England grow up?" we see that he is critical on how England is managed and does not like what is occuring in society.
Finaly we see Larkin change back as though nothing has occured with talking of going to the south and meeting this Professor. Throughout this poem we see the satire of academics being brought in and really the persona lacks sentiment and pity throughout this poem towards the death.

Toads Revisited - Larkin

Before Larkin wrote Toads Revisited he wrote a poem named Toads in which he described the life of working with metaphors related to toads. From this we got a very negative impression with various words such as "soil", "sickening poison" and "toad-like". From these words we see that Larkin is informing us readers that work is suffercating and causes us great sadness and pain. He then goes into this state where he fantisises and ends the poem with stating to the audience that he is no better then the people that are toad-like. He is also like this and we see brutal self critisism being shown by Larkin therefore stating to us that he is unimaginative, uncreative and unadventuous.
When he goes into his new poem of Toads Revisited we see that Larkin is still watching as he does in many poems such as The Whitsun Weddings.
Throughout the first seven stanzas we see that Larkin is showing the negative side to all the people that do not work. From the words "vague" and "Waxed-fleshed" we see that he pictures these non working people to be dumb and not alive. They are not clear, not focused and are not self aware.
From the phrase, "By being stupid or weak" we see that Larkin is portraying that if you do not work you are stupid and you are weak and he is not like them for he does work. Larkin does not wish to end up like them and choses to work so he is not classed as being that.
As we move on to the eigth stanza we see that this is Larkin's acceptance for work has enabled him to have a routine and he is addicted to work. He will not become one of them due to the fact that he is addicted to his work so will never be shown as stupid or weak. This is shown from the words "No" and "my" which suggests to us that he is addicted and also with the pro noun of "my" we see that work is desirable to him and its his own personal piece.
From the final stanza we see that personification is used with the phrase, "old toad" and from the final line we see that work helps Larkin through his life all the way until death. The phrase "old toad" is given off as being friendly and affectionate which allows the audience to see a good relationship between him and work.
Throughout this poem we have been able to see that work has enabled Larkin to remain young and focused but idealy has enabled him to have a purpose and an identity. This is a positive poem compared to many others he has done but concludes with the thought that this poem is really an answer to the poem Days.
This poem shows us that work is there to give Larkin a reason and a meaning to life and is therefore positive towards the audience.

Sunny Prestatyn - Larkin

From within this poem we are able to see the descriptive detail of an image of a girl on a poster. From this we are able to see many descriptive words which inform us a more negative side to this simple poster. From the phrase "snaggle-toothed and boss-eyed; Huge tits and a fissured crotch" we get the impression of a negative childish view similar to playground bullying. We see that this image is pornographic graffitti set about to be made as a laugh and a joke towards people. This shows that this was widely ideal for mens attentions and to catch there eye even if it was a humourous and something to snigger about. From the word "slapped up" we get the impression of women being tossed about or beaten physically. We also get the thought of a women slapping on make-up to make herself more attractive towards the men but we mainly get this negative aspect of the women being knocked about by a man. This presents degrading language towards the readers and gives us the chance to empathetic towards the vandalism that has occured. Even though from the first stanza we are given the description of a beautiful women and the notion of being welcomed we see that violence is able to easily destroy this beauty and is shown within the final stanza.
From within the final stanza we see a disturbing side towards Larkin with the word "knife" being brought into the poem. From this we see that there is a lack of respect occuring towards this image and to this women. We see that they are there to cause her pain and to let their anger out showing how violent men can be and how vulnerable women are.
From the line, "She was too good for this life" we see that this women did not deserve this sort of treatment and she is now damaged and hurt due to mens careless actions. She has been torn and not cared for leaving her to be nothing more then a wripped and unwanted pornographic piece of graffitti. From the final line "Now Fight Cancer is there" we see that another vulnerable group has been put in her place and will easily become victimised by these people once more. There is always a constant battle occuring and we have been shown the truth when the poster has been taken down and left with a blank wall. All these posters are illusions and when there is just a blank wall we see that is how our society truly is.

Essential Beauty - Larkin

From reading this poem we are able to see that it is idealy about the world of advertising and how it is placed towards us. From the first stanza we get the impression that our life should be like the advertisements with the phrase, "Of how life should be". From this we are informed that we should live like this due to the modal word and is a necessity. From various words such as, "giant", "cover" and "block" we get a negative perspective from these adverts. From the word "giant" we see that it is overwhelming and dominant to the audience. From "cover" we see that we are hidden or shut up from reality and have these adverts to overwhelm us and confuse us. Finally from "block" we also see this obscuring of the real world to have occured. This first stanza is full of colour and is portrayed with the hints of familiar food adverts that we are still aware of today such as Hovis bread and Birds custard. As we continue through this stanza we get the phrase, "High above the gutter A silver knife sinks into golden butter". From this we see the appearance of class and how the working and upper class are stated in this poem. This is a hyperbole which presents the thoughts of being excessive and artificial and in reality what ever class you are from, all of them are within the gutter for these advertisements confuse them of what is real and what is fake. We also get the notion of an illusion occuring in this poem due to how he explains the happy and loved families in this stanza. From this we see that this is how we are all meant to appear and is a key imagery throughout the poem.
As we move to the next stanza we then see the notion of being blinded from the truth being shown with key words and phrases. From "Pure coldness to our live imperfect eyes" we see that we are unable to see clearly and our judgement to be foggy. The advertisement has clouded our minds and we do not know what reality is any more. It feels inadequate to us and unrealistic.There is also the thought of there being no emotion, love or compasion from this phrase informing us that this is not reality these people are seeing. As we continue through this poem we then see that all these things that are being advertised are taking effect on the people and we see pentioners paying more for cups of tea and people smoking and not realising the effect this has upon them. From the words, "Granny Graveclothes' Tea" we see that this appears negative and as though it is preparing you for death. The quote of "dying smokers" shows us the long term effect smoking has upon people which is not shown on advertisements. Smokers are really killing themselves without knowing they are due to these adverts informing us that they are really lying to everyone in society. From the final line in the stanza stating, "Smiling, and recognising, and going dark" that really we are not aware and do not realise was is really occuring until we have died and making it seem too late. There are also many contrasts within this poem such as the real family and the fake family, the clarity change from each stanza and also the contrast to youth and age. From all these we see that Larkin is portraying to us that really we are being lied to everyday without even becoming aware until it is too late to do anything about it.