Within stanza two we get the emotional observation through the quote 'sharp tender shock'. This acts as an oxymoron and also links to Faith Healing and The Whitsun Weddings as we understand that the persona is observing and wanting but is clearly not doing. We also get the emotional observation that comes across as empathetic through the quote 'His hand withdrawn, holding her hand' this is also another further representation that their love has lasted and maybe eternal.
The third stanza paints an interesting picture about the couple. The quote 'They would not think to lie so long' could suggest a number of things. It could suggest that within the modern era we have no idea if they were lying about their love because they descend from such a long time ago. Or on the other hand it could convey the idea that they have no conception that centuries later there tomb would be visited by so many other people. We also get a sense of the difference between the past and the present through the quote 'Was just a detail a friend would see'. Of course, originally this would of been a private tomb for friends and family however it is now a public and historical place for the public to view. This conveys the view that over time the idea of them and their tomb has changed and become a lot more significant. We also learn in this stanza that the holding of the hands of the couple on this tomb is 'Thrown off in helping to prolong'. This suggests that the sculptor put in no effort and that it was merely a happy accident however this accident has a lot more significance now than it did in the past because it conveys something about their love that may have not been true during the time. So that one little mistake changed everything. Also 'The Latin names around the base' shows the wealth of the family and the power and influence that they used to have.
Within the fourth stanza the use of the 'stationary voyage' could represent a change or journey through time. However, they are now stationary meaning their journey is no longer continuing. This could represent something physical and could have a further philosophical meaning.
Within stanza five we get the quote 'The endless altered people' this could suggest two things one being that generations and generations of people love visiting the cathedral. They are the same people however each time they are different generations so Larkin is right to say that they are 'altered'. It could also mean that the significance of the symbol can often be lost. This is what we want it to mean that love is endless however in reality it is not.
In stanza six they are 'washing at their identities' which suggests that they are striking a pose and there is something deeper behind the stone that they are able to conceal. They are also now 'helpless in the hollow of an unarmorial age' which conveys the view that nobility no longer matters and that it has vanished in the modern day. This is why lots of people now just come to look at the couple however don't understand there meaning as nobility or its legacy no longer has any place.
Larkin ends the poem with the phrase 'what will survive of us is love'. This is proof of commitment however what people don't realise is that it has been built up and is only a qualification making the last line untrue. However we know that at the end of a draft version of the poem Larkin wrote 'Love isn't stronger than death because statues hold hands for 600 years'. This confirms the idea that Larkin believes love is not stronger than death.
This poem has several links with some Abse poems such as Postcard for his wife through this idea of enduring love, A Letter From Ogmore through the representation of a passing of time and St Valentine's Night through the different depictions of love itself.
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