Home is so Sad by Philip Larkin

Home is so Sad by Philip Larkin
The poem covers the themes of belonging and death. Larkin personifies the word 'Home' by describing it as 'sad' which sets the tone of the poem.
                    'Shaped to the comfort of the last to go As if to win them back'
In the first stanza, it is clear that the poet is going through grief and longing for a loved one who has passed. 'It stays as it was left' suggests that the house is the same as it was before, even though time has passed. Larkin uses the word 'bereft' which suggests that the house is mourning, reinforcing personification. In the final line, 'Having no heart' could be a reference to the well known phrase 'Home is where the heart is' showing that their is grief at present.
                            'A joyous shot at how things ought to be, Long fallen wide'
In the second stanza, a sense of disappointment is portrayed, Larkin's future was not what he imagined it would be. Simple elements that made the home are described here such as 'the pictures and the cutlery' which resemble the loved ones that used to live there, making it warm and comforting. However, now the house no longer remains a happy place to be. The word 'music' is used in the final line, which the reader interepts as happy, however it's now away 'in the piano stool' which could reflect the way in which the poet's source of happiness is locked away in the past. The poem ends with 'That vase' suggesting flowers, which hold connotations of happiness, life and beauty, a remindeder of the affection and love that people used to feel in this home.