Cricket Ball - Abse

Cricket Ball is a poem written by Abse that is set in 1935. This is conveyed in the first stanza where Abse mentions that it is '1935'. He has also gone to watch 'Glamorgan play' which suggests that he is in support of this cricket team. He also likes Slogger because he seems to be different to the other cricket players. Abse describes him as 'smart, free from the disgrace of fame, unrenowned, but the biggest hit with me'. Abse seems to like him because he is unique, he is not just good at cricket but is intelligent to. Abse could be commenting on fame in this quote and how it can manufacture and turn people which could convey this notion of change that is conveyed throughout the rest of the poem. He likes this player because this hasn't happened to him. We also get the pun at the end to do with cricket. It was a 'biggest hit with me' suggesting a semantic field of sport, especially cricket.

Pathetic Fallacy is used in the second stanza with 'the sound of summer'. This could be used by Abse to suggest a change in the audience, there is now excitement around the arena now the ball has been hit, summer is used to symbolise happiness and joy in the crowd. This is further conveyed through the fact that the ball is now 'alive' suggesting that the game has begun. The cricket ball could be a metaphor throughout this poem for greater change outside the cricket match.

We also get the notion of change and nature throughout this poem in stanza five he smells 'the cut grass' and later he 'peers over the falling sky over Westgate Street and waits'. This two quotes suggest a change for the future, in this context however this change seems good as nature is involved creating positive imagery. This gives across the connotations of new life and things being created or at their full growth. This is reinforced earlier when Abse talks about summer.

The main themes of this poem seem to be sport, nature and change. This poem can link to some of the musical poems by Larkin. A similarity to Larkin is that Abse has a particular passion for a certain type of culture like sport. Larkin has a passion for music. So this could link to poems such as For Sydney Bechet, Love Songs in Age, Reference Back and Broadcast through the fact that all these poems convey a passion for music and sport.