Days (poem)

"Days" is a short poem (10 lines) by Philip Larkin, written in 1953 and included in his 1964 collection The Whitsun Weddings.

It begins with a section of 6 lines, opening

What are days for?

in a mock-contented tone.

The final 4 lines bring a brutal reply

Ah, solving that question
Brings the priest and the doctor
In their long coats
Running over the fields.

Famous quotes containing the word days:

    Every moment instructs, and every object: for wisdom is infused into every form. It has been poured into us as blood; it convulsed us as pain; it slid into us as pleasure; it enveloped us in dull, melancholy days, or in days of cheerful labor; we did not guess its essence, until after a long time.
    Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)