English Poet Philip Larkin s' Poem Church Going Text and Summary

 

MA English Part.2 Syllabus Punjab University

Paper Modern Poetry

Church Going

Philip Larkin

 

Once I am sure there's nothing going on

I step inside, letting the door thud shut.

Another church: matting, seats, and stone,

And little books; sprawlings of flowers, cut

For Sunday, brownish now; some brass and stuff

Up at the holy end; the small neat organ;

And a tense, musty, unignorable silence,

Brewed God knows how long. Hatless, I take off

My cycle-clips in awkward reverence.

 

Move forward, run my hand around the font.

From where I stand, the roof looks almost new -

Cleaned, or restored? Someone would know: I don't.

Mounting the lectern, I peruse a few

Hectoring large-scale verses, and pronounce

'Here endeth' much more loudly than I'd meant.

The echoes snigger briefly. Back at the door

I sign the book, donate an Irish sixpence,

Reflect the place was not worth stopping for.

 

Yet stop I did: in fact I often do,

And always end much at a loss like this,

Wondering what to look for; wondering, too,

When churches will fall completely out of use

What we shall turn them into, if we shall keep

A few cathedrals chronically on show,

Their parchment, plate and pyx in locked cases,

And let the rest rent-free to rain and sheep.

Shall we avoid them as unlucky places?

Or, after dark, will dubious women come

To make their children touch a particular stone;

Pick simples for a cancer; or on some

Advised night see walking a dead one?

Power of some sort will go on

In games, in riddles, seemingly at random;

But superstition, like belief, must die,

And what remains when disbelief has gone?

Grass, weedy pavement, brambles, buttress, sky,

A shape less recognisable each week,

A purpose more obscure. I wonder who

Will be the last, the very last, to seek

This place for what it was; one of the crew

That tap and jot and know what rood-lofts were?

Some ruin-bibber, randy for antique,

Or Christmas-addict, counting on a whiff

Of gown-and-bands and organ-pipes and myrrh?

Or will he be my representative,

Bored, uninformed, knowing the ghostly silt

Dispersed, yet tending to this cross of ground

Through suburb scrub because it held unspoilt

So long and equably what since is found

Only in separation - marriage, and birth,

And death, and thoughts of these - for which was built

This special shell? For, though I've no idea

What this accoutred frowsty barn is worth,

It pleases me to stand in silence here;

A serious house on serious earth it is,

In whose blent air all our compulsions meet,

Are recognized, and robed as destinies.

And that much never can be obsolete,

Since someone will forever be surprising

A hunger in himself to be more serious,

And gravitating with it to this ground,

Which, he once heard, was proper to grow wise in,

If only that so many dead lie round.

 

 

 

 

 

Summary of Poem Church Going

 

"Church Going" is a poem by Philip Larkin that describes the speaker's reflections on visiting a church, even though he is not a religious person. The speaker enters the church and looks around at the various artifacts and symbols, noting the sense of history and tradition that the church embodies. He reflects on the fact that even though he is not religious, the church still holds a certain kind of significance for him.

 

The speaker then thinks about the idea of "going to church" and what it means. He notes that even though attendance at the church is declining, the church itself will still be there and will continue to be visited by people. He also reflects on the idea that the church has been around for centuries and will likely continue to be around for centuries more, despite the decline in attendance.

 

The speaker then reflects on the idea of what will happen to the church once it is no longer in use. He imagines it being converted into a museum or a storage facility, and wonders what will happen to the artifacts and symbols within it. He also reflects on the idea that the church may be forgotten and abandoned, and the memories and traditions associated with it will fade away.

 

Overall, the poem is a reflection on the significance of religion and tradition, and the way that these things continue to hold meaning for people, even if they are not religious. It also touches on themes of history, change, and the passage of time, and the way that these things affect our understanding of the world around us.

 

The poem is written in the first-person perspective and it starts with the speaker entering a church. He is not a regular church-goer, but he finds himself in the church, and starts to look around. He notes the various artifacts and symbols in the church, such as the pews, the hymn books, and the stained glass windows. He comments on the sense of history and tradition that the church embodies, and reflects on the fact that even though he is not religious, the church still holds a certain kind of significance for him.

 

The speaker then reflects on the idea of the church as a physical structure, and how it has stood for centuries and will likely continue to stand for centuries more, despite the decline in attendance. He also reflects on the idea that the church is a symbol of continuity and stability, and that it represents something that is constant and unchanging in a world that is constantly changing.

 

In the last stanza, the speaker reflects on the idea that the church is a place where people come to find solace and meaning, and that it represents something that is greater than oneself. He also reflects on the idea that the church is a place where people come to find answers to the big questions in life, and that it represents something that is eternal and unchanging.

 

Overall, "Church Going" is a contemplative and reflective poem that explores the significance of religion and tradition, and the way that these things continue to hold meaning for people, even if they are not religious. It also touches on themes of history, change, and the passage of time, and the way that these things affect our understanding of the world around us.