Philip Larkin and Tom Clark Play Cards [by DL]

Tom Clark's skill at juxtaposing image to work makes his "Beyond the Pale" blog a constant source of pleasure -- perhaps especially when Mr. Clark, a poetry editor of great distinction in his time at The Paris Review, takes us thoroughly by surprise, as happens here, when a Philip Larkin poem of note ("The Card Players" from High Windows) is conjoined with Adriaen Brouwer's Flemish 17th-century card players, who smoke and drink and carouse and lose their tempers and break things when they lose or suspect someone of cheating and if you stare at them they'll blow smoke right into your face and their companions will laugh and one of them, said to be the artist himself, will blow smoke rings in the air for your enjoyment while his friend puts his finger to his lips, begging you to keep the secret, or to his nose, signifying that the criminal activity taking place is sanctioned by the syndicate. -- DL