Leaving Cardiff

Themes
Change, loss of home, sense of belonging, isolation, nature, journeys.

Content
This poem by Abse is about his journey away from his hometown of Cardiff in Wales to London and the feelings that this first move away from home evoke.

Analysis

• Abse begins by using concrete description to provide the setting of his departure and to show that which he is leaving behind. The use of the words "I wait" and "I prepare" not only show the poem to be autobiographical but also imply hesitation on the part of the speaker. It is clear that they do not want to leave the home they have always known. Moreover, there is significance in the fact that they are leaving in the "evening air" as this symbolises a chapter of their life drawing to a close.
• However, whilst the speaker prepares to leave, natures continues on as it always has, with the "Sea-birds" carrying out their daily routine. These birds may also be used by Abse to symbolise freedom from a life that would have been constricting. Despite this, the speaker feels empty and hollow inside, as shown through the alliteration of "docks' derelictions". Now that they are on the verge of moving on, the speaker already feels isolated and like an outsider and the area seems to be neglecting him.
• Whilst the first line of the second stanza is a literal description of the person looking at the place which he is soon to leave, it has also been interpreted as a metaphor for looking at life as a whole and considering the future. The description of the waves as "slack hammocks" connotes a type of peace and calm that Abse gained from his home town, which held him safely and soothed him with its familiarity. However, things that were once recognisable are now blurred-"black shapes upon the pier/make the furthest star seem near". These shapes could be humans or just dock equipment but either way, they show the sheer distance that Abse now feels from what was once familiar. Yet it has been suggested that by bringing the "furthest star" "near", Abse's hometown still provides some comfort.
• In the third stanza,  the "funnel's negations blow" to signal departure, with this having negative connotations to suggest denial on the part of the speaker-they do not want to believe that they are really leaving. Abse uses emotive descriptions ("eyes,like spaces,fill") and water imagery to display how he mourns the loss of his hometown and the emptiness that he perhaps now feels.
• Abse then rhetorically questions whether or not he consciously made the "choice" to leave Cardiff or whether other factors were always pushing him that way. The fact that the word "who"  is used could imply that he believes he is losing part of his identity by leaving Cardiff behind and he cannot "be the same man twice". Leaving will change him and his cultural identity and this could be viewed as negative, however, an alternative interpretation is that he cannot live two lives and must experience life while he can.
• The alliteration of "flames flare" emphasises that he will always remember where he has come from in all its brilliance but everything will continue on without him "still". Already, "the boats under the hill/of Penarth unload and move on" and Abse exists only as a forgotten memory. Moreover, this imagery could be a reference to industrialisation or to how humankind is constantly uprooting and moving from one place to the next.
• The rhyme scheme becomes more regimented as the poem goes on to become ABAB, perhaps because the speaker has gotten to grips with the idea of leaving and understands that it is inevitable.

Links to Larkin

Themes- 'The Importance of Elsewhere'-in contrast to Larkin, the speaker in this poem  holds great affection for his home and is deeply grieved at leaving his hometown behind.
'Home is So Sad'-the idea of loss and leaving a sense of belonging behind-one poem where Larkin does use emotive language similar to Abse-sombre
'Here'- Larkin's persona wishes to escape the urban landscape in order to find isolation whilst the speaker in this poem does not like the feeling of separation and loneliness-better view of urban life
'The Whitsun Weddings'- travel changes a person and they end the journey different from the person they were when they started-emotional connection
'Dockery and Son'-the effect of our life choices and how we question whether we have made the right decision.

Tone- The tone used by Abse is more conversational and accessible, unlike poems such as 'The Large Cool Store' and 'Ignorance'. However, it does bear some similarities to poems like "A Study of Reading Habits' which include day to day routines and seem to speak directly to the reader.

Technique- The use of the rhetorical question in Abse's work mirrors that used in Larkin poems like 'Self's the Man'. In both cases, the speaker is questioning their own judgement and appears undecided on a matter.
The reference to time through the "evening air" could also be seen to link to "Afternoons" as both times see the day drawing nearer to its close. Moreover, alliteration is used by Abse to suggest a sense of emptiness and loneliness, as appears in 'Ambulances'-"dulls to a distance".