In order to explore ‘An Arundel Tomb’, there is a need to examine ‘The Whitsun Weddings Collection’ as a whole in relation to the concept of time. Many poems in the collection embody the concept of time such as ‘Days’ which questions the nature of our reality and explores the idea of death being led by the curiosity of the human psyche.In the central poem of the collection, Reibetanz states “The Whitsun Weddings” roots us at once in time…and manifests a concern with time (“I was late getting away”). Larkin sets the train in a context of precise calculation (“One-twenty,” “three quarters-empty”) …a vehicle in motion rather than a fixed mark’. In a similar way, ‘Afternoons’ is an observational poem with regards to the transition from summer to autumn. Larkin uses the language of nature such as ‘fading’, ‘fall’, ‘lying’ and ‘ruining’ as metaphorical brushstrokes to create an artistic impression. These verbs signify the transitory state of nature in the background whilst in the foreground, the reader gains a sense of immediacy in relation to the ‘lovers’, ‘husbands’ and ‘children’. Time is asserting and impacting not only nature in terms of its usual four season cycle but also against the participants in the poem who are also susceptible to decay as time consumes them as ‘something is pushing them / to the side of their own lives’.
Larkin, after visiting Chichester Cathedral and seeing the tomb, was inspired to write the poem in 1957 and publish it in 1964. The overarching theme of time is clear in ‘An Arundel Tomb’. The title itself epitomises the motif of time and this is similar to ‘Days’ which incorporates ‘the priest and the doctor’. They are symbolic of an imminent death and a hasty burial ceremony, just as the tomb in ‘An Arundel Tomb’ is a physical representation of death. The very semblance and symbolic nature of the Earl of Arundel displaying his affection towards his wife is indicative of their love despite the erosion of the tomb over time.
Larkin’s use of enjambment is crucial as there is a rapid temporal shift between lines as ‘Side by side, their faces blurred, / The earl and countess lie in stone, / their proper habits vaguely shown’ . This poetic technique emphasises the swiftness of time through the varying of syntax. The enjambment allows the reader to follow the narrative voice as the past is now the present for ‘The endless altered people’. This demonstrates the disruption in the perspective of time; time is indeed transient but humans have the capacity to resurrect items from the past and hold them in the present as is the case with museum displays of today. And this poem carries this artefact-like effect. The use of the natural caesura at the end of each stanza deepens the close intimacy of the scene between the past dead participants in the tomb and the living participants who observe today.
The way in which time transfigures the nature and image of the tomb is explored thoroughly through the placement of similes and metaphors. Even though the enshrined couple hold hands in a seemingly romantic pose, in reality it is ‘A sculptor’s sweet commissioned grace’ – an image of artistic beauty rather than true, enduring love. Andrew Motion comments on Larkin’s poem and the couple’s relationship when remarking “He realises that the effigies ‘lie in stone’ – that their faithfulness is a deception – and also admits that for them to be shown holding hands at all is nothing more than ‘A sculptor’s sweet commissioned grace’. But while the tomb may represent an ‘attitude’ a lie, it has become a kind of truth by virtue of having survived.”
Time is represented as a vital motif through the structure of the poem. The use of the iambic tetrameter provides an awakening rhythm symbolic of the structured nature which time transcends throughout the existence of the tomb. Larkin’s poetry is described as having “frictionless memorability” . This is evident in ‘An Arundel Tomb’ where the established metric rhythm is ‘frictionless’ and creates ‘memorability’ through accurate use of metaphor and language. This is further epitomised through phrases such as ‘stationary voyage’, ‘What will survive of us is love’ and’ endless altered people’. Larkin once again demonstrates his figurative and poetic mastery as he adheres to a rigid rhyme scheme; ABBCAC throughout the seven sestets of the poem to replicate the solidified nature of the enshrined couple. This repeated pattern confirms the perceived pervasive nature of love despite the cruel hand of time.
The physical closeness of the couple is heightened as they are sculpted in such a way that they are ‘side by side’ and appear to ‘hold hands’. The tomb and the couple’s medieval lifestyle are archaic and this isolates them through temporal distancing as the ‘people’ from today observe. This exemplifies the way in which time morphs our perception of reality through the couple’s power and status being mistaken for a mere representation of love.
Larkin’s use of the theme of time is somewhat pejorative as it represents the alteration of medieval tradition and belief through ideological evolution. The poem explores the way that ‘time has transfigured them into untruth’ through various contemporary innovation. The reference to a ‘scrap of history’ is a strong indication to readers that modern tourists see the tomb as a representation of true love rather than the depiction of power and status the tomb was commissioned for. Time is therefore viewed in a skewed light pertaining to Larkin’s cynicism as time is reflected negatively through the forms of loss, death and decay.
Time is the sole driving force throughout the poem. The ‘Latin names’ reflect the way in which time transfigures communication in language. As the couple embark on their ‘stationary voyage’ – a paradoxical description as the couple are ‘stationary’ but are also on a ‘voyage’ through time – hence the theme of time is epitomised. Latin is an outdated language that is no longer accessible in the present domain; it sadly depicts the waning of the Earl’s cultural heritage.
One of the most distinguishing features of the poem as a whole is that it utilises highly elaborate and established patterning of imagery and phrases. This suggests and expresses the paradoxes and obscurities about love, human nature and fidelity which course throughout the poem. The poem makes use of certain words and phraseology linked to fixity and death, immobility and stasis – ‘still’, ‘stone’, ‘suspended’ and ‘bone’ which exemplify such ideas. But the poem also has numerous nouns and verbs connected with change and time, such as ‘history’, ‘voyage’, ‘transfigured’ and ‘altered’. The effect of this is to suggest that there is a central tension between change and death. The poem features numerous images connected with ‘relationship(s)’, such as ‘pleat’ and ‘jointed’, to emphasize the fundamental portrayal of the relationship between the couple.
Finally the poem makes use of imagery and language to suggest the notion of a lack of clarity – words such as ‘blurred’ and ‘almost’ – which emphasize the central motif of an unclear vision of events. Reibetanz mentions that ‘For Philip Larkin, however, “our element is time.”…poetry has the task of recording and reflecting on the imperfect, transitory experiences of the mundane reality that the poet shares with his readers’. Larkin creates, through effective use of imagery, a poem extremely rich and expressive in meaning, where the imagery in itself is integral to the timeless message of the poem.