An Arundel Tomb
Encyclopedia
"An Arundel Tomb" is a poem by Philip Larkin
Philip Larkin
Philip Arthur Larkin, CH, CBE, FRSL is widely regarded as one of the great English poets of the latter half of the twentieth century...

, published in 1964 in his collection The Whitsun Weddings
The Whitsun Weddings (book)
The Whitsun Weddings is a collection of 32 poems by Philip Larkin. It was first published by Faber and Faber in the United Kingdom on 28 February 1964. It was a commercial success, by the standards of poetry publication, with the first 4,000 copies being sold within two months. A U.S...

. It comprises 7 verses of 6 lines each, each rhyming abbcac.

The poem describes a medieval tomb that can be found in Chichester cathedral
Chichester Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, otherwise called Chichester Cathedral, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in Sussex, England...

; the tomb is of Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel
Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel
Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel and 8th Earl of Surrey was an English nobleman and medieval military leader.- Lineage :...

 (d. 1376), and his second wife, Eleanor of Lancaster
Eleanor of Lancaster
Eleanor of Lancaster, Countess of Arundel was the fifth daughter of Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster and Maud Chaworth.-First marriage and issue:...

(d. 1372), with their dogs at their feet. He has his right hand ungloved, and her right hand rests lightly upon his.

In an audio recording of the poem, Larkin states that the effigies were unlike any he had ever seen before and that he found them "extremely affecting."

Larkin uses this scene to muse on time, mortality and the limits of earthly love.

It begins thus:-
Side by side, their faces blurred,
The earl and countess lie in stone,


and concludes
Our almost-instinct almost true:
What will survive of us is love.


Most commentators see this final couplet as a positive affirmation, but some others see in it a lugubrious Larkin-statement of the opposite (namely a weak statement of hope in the face of reality).

The poem was one of the three read at Larkin's memorial service.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK