Never such innocence, Never before or since, As changed itself to past Without a word--the men Leaving the gardens tidy, The thousands of marriages Lasting a little while longer: Never such innocence again.

Philip Larkin
About This Quote

Never such innocence,Never before or since,As changed itself to pastWithout a word--the menLeaving the gardens tidy,The thousands of marriagesLasting a little while longer:Never such innocence again.On the same day that this poem was written, Jack Kennedy Jr. died in an airplane crash. He was only thirty-three years old. Kennedy had only been married for twenty-eight days.

He was so young and so pure. The cohabiting of two people who were equally young and equally pure is what made the poem sing. And if that is not enough, this poem is written by Robert Frost, one of the greatest poets to have ever lived.

There are no answers in poetry, but Frost’s answer to “never such innocence” has inspired readers for decades.

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