Philip Larkin Professions : Poet Born : August 9, 1922 Died : December 2, 1985 Browse All Authors Top 134 quotes by Philip Larkin Living in England has no such excuse: Philip Larkin excuse england home Here no elsewhere underwrites my existence. Philip Larkin existence elsewhere home I am awakened each dawn Philip Larkin awakened dawn fear Any memory for the most part depending on chance. Philip Larkin chance memories One of the sadder things, I think, Philip Larkin party years thinking And the case of butterflies so rich it looks As if all summer settled there and died. Philip Larkin butterfly summer looks Courage is no good: Philip Larkin courage mean death Poetry is an affair of sanity, of seeing things as they are, to recreate the familiar, eternalizing the poet's own perception in unique and original verbal form. Philip Larkin sanity affair unique Why should I let the toad work Squat on my life? Can't I use my wit as a pitchfork And drive the brute off? Six days of the week it soils With its sickening poison-- Just for paying a few bills! That's out of proportion. Philip Larkin toads bills work Poetry is an affair of sanity, of seeing things as they are. Philip Larkin sanity affair poetry-is The trees are coming into leaf Like something almost being said. Philip Larkin leafs said tree In times when nothing stood Philip Larkin constant grew strange It becomes still more difficult to find Words at once true and kind, Or not untrue and not unkind. Philip Larkin difficult stills kind They say eyes clear with age. Philip Larkin clear eye age A good meal can somewhat repair / The eatings of slight love Philip Larkin good-meals meals eating I work all day, and get half-drunk at night. Philip Larkin drunk half night All the unhurried day / Your mind lay open like a drawer of knives. Philip Larkin drawers knives mind The chromatic scale is what you use to give the effect of drinking a quinine martini and having an enema simultaneously. Philip Larkin musical drinking giving What are days for? Philip Larkin Life and literature is a question of what one thrills to, and further than that no man shall ever go without putting his foot in a turd. Philip Larkin literature feet men Similar Authors Abdellatif Laabi poet Ihara Saikaku poet Abram Joseph Ryan poet Ingeborg Bachmann poet Izumi Shikibu poet Bion of Smyrna poet All Authors