Nothing to be Said

"Life is slow dying" -> paradox - death happens to everyone - as soon as you're born you're slowly dying.

"benediction" -> blessing

"The day spent hunting pig or holding a garden-party" -> different ways of living their lives - different social classes (upper and lower) - snobbish of Larkin.

Stanza 1 -> a list of very different types of people -> all were born all will die.

Stanza 3 -> ways to pass the time.

"For nations vague as weeds" -> countries appearing out of nowhere spreading like "weed[s]" - not even plants - in an undesirable fashion.

Different cultures doing death differently but in the end we will all die.

"nomad" -> never stay in one place -> constantly moving -> reference to tribes.

"ways of slow dying" -> pessimistic view.

"Hours giving evidence or birth, advance" -> justifying our existence.

"Or birth, advance on death equally slowly" -> paradox -> giving life - yet still dying at the same time

Stanza 1-> "nomads" - tribes

Stanza 2 -> "The day spent hunting pig or holding a garden-party" - contrast between the two social classes -> reference back to "nomad[s]"/tribes.

zeugma - "Hours giving evidence or birth" -> there for comical effect.

Last line: "And saying s to some means nothing; other it leaves nothing to be said" -> optimistic vs pessimistic -> we all know Larkin to be pessimistic.