close

This Be the Verse

This Be the Verse

By Philip Larkin 1922–1985 Philip Larkin
They fuck you up, your mum and dad.   
    They may not mean to, but they do.   
They fill you with the faults they had
    And add some extra, just for you.

But they were fucked up in their turn
    By fools in old-style hats and coats,   
Who half the time were soppy-stern
    And half at one another’s throats.

Man hands on misery to man.
    It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can,
    And don’t have any kids yourself.

Philip Larkin, “This Be the Verse” from Collected Poems. Used by permission of The Society of Authors as the Literary Representative of the Estate of Philip Larkin.

Source: Collected Poems (Farrar Straus and Giroux, 2001)

RELATED CONTENT

Discover this poem’s context and related poetry, articles, and media.

Poet Philip Larkin 1922–1985

POET’S REGION England

Subjects Living, Disappointment & Failure, Parenthood

Poetic Terms Rhymed Stanza

close