The British poet Philip Larkin published "This Be The Verse" in 1971. The poem is about the way that parents pass their flaws and emotional complications on to their children, who in turn pass their own misery on to their children. The only way to stop this cycle, the speaker suggests in a somewhat tongue-in-cheek tone, is to "get out" of life without having kids. Written in iambic tetrameter with a strict ABAB rhyme scheme, the poem borrows its title from Robert Louis Stevenson's poem "Requiem," which celebrates the idea of finding happiness and peace in death. For the speaker of "This Be The Verse," though, death is merely a way to avoid inevitable family tensions.
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They fuck you ...
... but they do.
They fill you ...
... just for you.
But they were ...
... hats and coats,
Who half the ...
... one another’s throats.
Man hands on ...
... a coastal shelf.
Get out as ...
... any kids yourself.
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
Zoe Wanamaker Reads the Poem — Watch the British actor Zoe Wanamaker read "This Be The Verse" aloud.
Larkin's Life — For more information about Philip Larkin, take a look at this brief overview of his life and work.
The Poet's Voice — Listen to Philip Larkin himself read "This Be The Verse."
The Paris Review Interview — Check out Philip Larkin's interview with The Paris Review, which was published in 1982 as part of the magazine's "The Art of Poetry" series.
Portrait of the Artist — Take a look at the six portraits of Philip Larkin that exist in the National Portrait Gallery's online archive.