An Arundel Tomb
#PhilipLarkin
'Side by side, their faces blurred,
The earl and countess lie in stone,
Their proper habits vaguely shown
As jointed armour, stiffened pleat,
And that faint hint of the absurd—
The little dogs under their feet.'
The 'hint of the absurd' was in Larkin's head, however. On the actual #ArundelTomb, in #ChichesterCathedral, the Earl's feet are clearly resting on a lion.
Larkin may have been ambiguous about love but it seems he was emphasising fidelity.
#philiplarkin #arundeltomb #chichestercathedral