Read the Question carefully and choose the correct option.
Which of the following poems by Philip Larkin is best described as a self-elegy, anticipating the poet’s death?
1. The Old Fools
2. Aubade
3. Ambulances
4. Faith Healing
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Detailed Explanation & Answer
"Aubade" is directly concerned with the poet’s fear and contemplation of death. Larkin wrote this poem as a meditation on his own mortality, exploring his dread of the inevitable end.
The tone of "Aubade" is intensely personal and reflective. It captures Larkin's sense of dread and resignation about the prospect of death, which aligns with the concept of a self-elegy—a poem mourning one's own eventual death.
In "Aubade," Larkin explicitly reflects on his own life and the certainty of death. The poem is less about mourning others and more about Larkin’s internal struggle with the concept of his own mortality.