"MCMXIV" (1914) is a poem written by
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
poet
Philip Larkin
Philip Arthur Larkin (9 August 1922 – 2 December 1985) was an English poet, novelist, and librarian. His first book of poetry, '' The North Ship'', was published in 1945, followed by two novels, '' Jill'' (1946) and '' A Girl in Winter'' (1 ...
. It was first published in the book ''
The Whitsun Weddings'' in 1964. The poem, a single sentence spread over four stanzas, begins by describing what is seemingly a photograph of volunteers lining up to enlist, and goes on to reflect on the momentous changes in England that would result from the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, ending, 'Never such innocence again'.
References in popular culture
* The first and last lines of the poem are quoted in the film ''
The History Boys
''The History Boys'' is a play by British playwright Alan Bennett. The play premiered at the Royal National Theatre in London on 18 May 2004. Its Broadway debut was on 23 April 2006 at the Broadhurst Theatre where 185 performances were staged be ...
''.
* ''MCMXIV'' is the first single on the
Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...
band Archeology's E.P. ''Change of Address''
* ''MCMXIV'' is a single from
Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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band Ratboys' album "AOID"
See also
*
List of poems by Philip Larkin
The list of poems by Philip Larkin come mostly from the four volumes of poetry published during his lifetime:
*'' The North Ship'' (July 1945)
*''The Less Deceived'' (November 1955, dated October)
*'' The Whitsun Weddings'' (February 1964)
*'' Hi ...
References
* Philip Larkin, ''Collected Poems'', Faber and Faber, 2003, Appendix III.
External links
The Philip Larkin Society
{{Philip Larkin
Poetry by Philip Larkin
1964 poems