What do each of the stanzas in Triple Time refer to?
- Present
- Future
- Past
What is the significance of the title Triple Time?
- Refers to the 3 aspects of time, but also Triple time is a fast paced musical tempo - representing how quickly time moves forward
‘This empty street, this sky to blandness scoured, This air, a little indistinct’
‘A time unrecommended by event’
- Semantic field to portray the present as boring and unremarkable, dull.
- Modern attitude, society perceives present as meaningless as obsess over future or past instead.
‘a little indistinct with autumn’
- Time is constantly changing - something is always dying out.
‘A time traditionally scoured’
‘A time unrecommended by event’
- Anaphoric repetition.
‘A’ indefinite article - reduces importance of time emphasises its forgettable nature, how we don’t value the present enough.
‘Like a reflection’
- Simile - this view of time is not a true reality - speaker criticises society for not valuing time - instead seeing it as mundane/boring.
- Perhaps partially identifies with society, includes him.
‘But equally…’
- Argument marker = volta. Implies change, how time is interchangeable because the present was once the future in the past.
‘This is the furthest future childhood saw’
- Fricative alliteration emphasises pace, time moves quickly. Inevitability of future - ‘under travelling skies’. Future moves so quickly, we miss the present.
‘Heard in contending bells’
- Use of sound - future exciting and intrigueing, but ultimately distracting.
‘An air lambent with adult enterprise’
We view the future as glowing - exciting and filled with opportunitiy.
A03: Post War Optimism.
‘And on another day will be the past’
Inevitability of time - unstoppable.
‘A valley cropped by fat neglected changes That we insensately forbore to fleece.’
Metaphor: Past is wasted, blames his past perspective for failed opportunities, we regret the past opportunities we failed to seize.
- Insensately = lacking awareness, how we see our past selves.
‘seasonal decrease.’
Ends the poem with potential concept of death, approach death at the end of our time. End stop emphasises finite nature of time, inevitable, but wasted.
Rhyme Scheme of Triple Time:
- Repetitive - time is finite and inevitable, constant.
A03 Triple Time:
- Larkin said ‘time erodes, spoils and disappoints’
- Post-war optimism.
