Return to Cardiff - Abse

Return to Cardiff is a poem by Abse that conveys how much time has passed. From within the first stanza we get the sense that Abse is conveying his memories of the past from when he was in Cardiff as a teenager. This is represented through the quote 'I cycled on to school, my first cigarette' these are the common stereotypical attributes of a teenager, reinforcing the view that Abse is in Cardiff, however reiminiscing over past memories.

However in stanza two we get the impression that Abse is unfamiliar with the setting around him. This is represented through the phrase 'mislaid identities'. This conveys this idea of how much time has moved on since Abse was in Cardiff as a child. We get a sense that through this the persona has recognised how much he has aged as a person and this is represnted through how much the setting has changed as well. This notion of change is represented through quotes such as 'the mile-wide taff now a stream, the castle not as in some black, gothic dream, but a decent sprawl, a joker's facade'. We get the sense that this setting has changed for the better. The castle for example is no longer 'black' and 'gothic' however it is now a 'decent sprawl' conveying this view that it is now a lively and bustling place for all people of society to experience. The persona seems to find this funny as it is probably where he hung around with his friends when he was younger.

Within stanza three we get the sense that some of these memories of the persona are now rather unclear. There are 'unfocused voices in the wind, associations, clues, odds and ends, fringes caught'. This are all rather abstract thoughts, which suggests that the persona's memory may be more faded and unclear now. We also get the notion of a loved one being conveyed in this memory. The description of the grandfather is 'white' and he has an 'enromous face'. This supports that the persona can remember the apperance of his grandfather very clearly suggesting that they were close. What is even more tragic is that the persona is 'suddenly aghast with certain news'. Through this we get the impression that the grandfather is now dead and that the persona has not returned to Cardiff ever since his death. The idea of shock is also conveyed in this poem, the persona is 'white' and 'aghast' suggesting that the grandfather's death may of been very unexpected and that the persona didn't take the death too well.

In stanza four we get the sense that Cardiff used to be a place that the persona used to enjoy living in. However after time has passed it has become a 'city of stranges, alien and bleak'. This also conveys this notion of how much time has passed. Abse is commenting that we recognise change once a setting is permanently changed itself, it gives us a better insight into time and change in life.

In the rest of this poem Abse reflects on the ideas of time and change and the contrasting setting between where the persona is now and the past. We also get this idea of two time periods passing over one another during the end of this poem through the quote 'where the boy I was not and the man I am not met, hesitated, left double footsteps, then walked on'. This conveys the difference between the two different settings, however it also conveys the view that the persona doesn't belong in Cardiff because he is not a man or boy in Cardiff, he is literally nobody. So the final stanzas to this poem have a more philosophical meaning.

In regards to linking with Larkin, I believe this poem links closely to the poem by Larkin Here because we are given the notion in both of these poems of a place and a home. Cardiff is Abse's hometown and Hull is Larkin's hometown, therefore they both have a sense of belonging in these two places. It also links closely with Dockery and Son through the idea of this conflict between the past and present. In Return to Cardiff Abse remembers his childhood and in Dockery and Son Larkin remembers his time at Oxford University.