The Explosion

“The Explosion” is not an occasional poem; Larkin did not write the poem to provide public commentary on a specific mining disaster. Such poems most often require explanatory footnotes to detail the specific disaster and, in turn, are often composed in anger or despair and usually turn into polemics concerning, in this case, mine safety, workers’ rights, or owners’ carelessness. Larkin was moved to write the poem after watching a BBC documentary on British mining catastrophes. Mining is a notoriously difficult and risky work and, even in the modern era with cutting-edge rescue techniques, mines are still susceptible to explosions and collapses that make rescue efforts difficult.

Larkin, however, is not interested in mining per se. He does not rail against mine owners, nor does he rally sympathy for the miners or agitate for safer conditions. The explosion that rocks the mine and kills the miners happens off-stage, or more specifically, below ground. “At noon, there came a tremor” (Line 13)—that’s it. That’s the mine explosion. We only get the momentary distraction of the cows in the pasture above the mine uncertain over what just shook the ground.

Because there is no specific mine disaster, there is no body count, no explanation or cause, no accountability, no backstories of the miners.