The Literary World

‘Finally, after five months of my life during which I could write nothing that would have satisfied me, and for which no power will compensate me…’

My dear Kafka,
When you’ve had five years of it, not five months,
Five years of an irresistible force meeting an
immoveable object right in your belly,
Then you’ll know about depression.

Philip Larkin – From the book The Complete Poems

Not really a crystal clear poem in the category light verse. The poet reflects on a diary note from Kafka, which reads like a somewhat pathetic statement about time wasted.

Cryptic is the immoveable object in the belly, caused by an irresistible force. Irresistible force? Immoveable object? What does it exactly mean? Something unbearably painful, an illness immoveable therefore incurable even through surgery?

The abstract idea life itself – the human condition – as a fundamental sickness for which there is no cure? Indeed, suffering this kind of mental pain that’s a reason for a severe deep depression.

What I like about the poem is the ambiguity, Larkin plays in his laconic style with different levels, he brings aspects together: the psychical and the mental, the body and mind condition. Furthermore he speaks to Kafka, simply saying do not complain man, it can always be worse.

I have read this poem (Larkin died in 1985) long time ago and yet it’s still intriguing. Good stuff.