Down the M4

This poem explores the passing of time and how death is inevitable; just like the journey which Abse finds himself on as he travels 'Down the M4', the destination of death awaits us all. The tone of the poem is depressing and slightly downbeat, and it appears Abse is remembering the past as a much happier time - this is similar to many of Larkin's poems, such as 'Love Songs In Age'.
      The first word of the poem screams out at the reader due to Abse's appliance of an exclamation mark: 'Me!'. This begins 'Down the M4' in a dramatic way, and suggests sarcasm as the rest of the line is read: 'dutiful son going back to South Wales...'. Abse tells of how his mother's friends are now often 'disrobed' - this could suggest madness/dementia, and creates a degrading image of the elderly women in question. He goes on to explain how his 'aunts and uncles, too, go into the hole, one by / one.' This could be interpreted in two ways; it could be argued that Abse is symbolising the graves, and therefore deaths, of his family members through the phrase 'the hole', or he could be saying they too are beginning to lose their minds through old age. The final line of the first stanza describes how 'The beautiful face of [his] mother is in its ninth decade.' - this further reference to time and age holds a sad tone, as if Abse is regretful, almost mournful of the fact that his mother is ageing.
     Abse describes his mother's stories as 'monotonous' in the second stanza. This use of language makes the tone even duller and more depressing as the reader begins to see that Abse's visits to his 'beautiful mother' have become more of a chore than a pleasure - he is being 'dutiful'. He feels his hair 'turning grey' as he listens to her; by portraying himself as a vision of old age, Abse strengthens the idea that death becomes closer for everyone each day. The phrase also suggests that the monotony of his visits to his mother, and the repetition of their conversations (most probably due to her lack of memory which is a by-product of old age) is ageing him, not just time itself. Again, this presents the visits as duties and not events which he looks forward to.
     The third stanza makes reference to identity and religion, two common themes within Abse's poetry. 'the village' are presented as a voice of discrimination: 'Tell the truth,... / you're no Jewess.' This suggests that society did not accept Abse's mother's mother's identity and accused her of lying, highlighting the prejudice which Abse and his family were faced with. His emphasis on the words 'They're' and 'You're' portrays the isolation which she felt; she was not part of the majority and stood apart from the rest, similarly to Abse's childlike self in 'Red Balloon'. The fact that he is discussing his 'mother's mother' could be a presentation of how the language is dying out too.
     The final line of this poem is negative and depressing: 'It won't keep.' Abse appears to be making reference to the tune he is humming; it could be argued that this 'tune' is symbolic of his mother's life, and how it is not permanent, as is no other life. This idea that nothing lasts could be linked with Larkin's 'Love Songs In Age' which explores the way in which love is not permanent and does not 'solve' or 'satisfy'.
     The layout and structure of 'Down the M4' is visually intriguing on the page, and could be representative of many different things. It could be argued that the contrast of long, complex sentences with short lines echoes the way in which a road (such as the M4) can have long, straight stretches before being met with short, snappy corners or turnings. This interesting structure could also be a possible depiction of how one's life span can be long or short; death reaches us all, and we do not know when it will arrive.