Talking in Bed

The title of the poem, “Talking in Bed,” is ironic, introducing the reader to a forebodingly quiet situation in a place where one might expect conversation to flow freely. The pun on the word “Lying,” in Line 2, foreshadows the theme of dishonesty in communication. A pun is a play on a word that has two very different meanings. In addition to a supine bodily position, “lying” is a form of untruthful communication, which for some is a long-standing condition of their relationship. The pun only becomes obvious in the context of the whole poem; if “lying” is simply means lying down, the first tercet would seem to present a perfect picture or “emblem” (Line 3) of a situation in which two people, free of the pressures of the world, can relax and say what is on their minds without fear of being rejected or misunderstood.

The first word of the second tercet, “Yet,” (Line 4) is the first explicit indication to the reader that the reality of the scene is different to what the reader may expect as the couple in the poem talk less and less as they spend more time together.