Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Lawrence Durrell's "Cities, Plains and People: 2" continues the thematic exploration of human experience, memory, and cultural reflection that began in the first poem of the series. This poem, however, shifts focus to a broader, more historical and cultural perspective, examining the intersections of personal and collective identity through the lens of different places and times. It presents a meditation on exile, intellectual pursuit, and the inevitability of loss, framed against the backdrop of a journey that is both literal and metaphorical.

The poem opens with "Nine marches to Lhasa," immediately invoking the sense of a long, arduous journey, both physical and spiritual. Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, symbolizes a distant, almost unreachable spiritual goal. The "honeycomb of silence" suggests a complex, introspective space where those who enter might "gain the whole world" but at the risk of "losing each other." This juxtaposition highlights the tension between personal enlightenment and the loss of connection, a recurring theme in Durrell’s work.

The "complexion of this country" refers to a harsh, unforgiving landscape where "tears / Found no harbour in the breast of rock." This metaphor emphasizes the difficulty of expressing or finding solace in a place that is indifferent to human suffering. Death, personified as a companion who "marched beside the living as a friend," introduces the idea of mortality as an ever-present, almost comforting force in such a stark environment, unmarked by the usual "sad punctuation by the clock" that measures time in more familiar, civilized contexts.

Durrell then contrasts this Eastern journey with the experience of those who "went westward only / To the prudish cliffs and the sad green home / Of Pudding Island o'er the Victorian foam." This is a clear reference to England, often depicted in literature as a place of restraint and repression, symbolized by the "Victorian foam" that evokes the rigid moral atmosphere of the era. The journey westward is not one of spiritual enlightenment, but of a different kind of exile—one into a culture that stifles the soul.

The depiction of England as a place where "all as poets were pariahs" underscores the isolation and marginalization of those who pursued creative and intellectual endeavors. The line "Some sharpened little follies into hooks / To pick upon the language and survive" reflects the struggle of poets and thinkers to find meaning and voice in a society that did not value them. The reference to "Pulpits of smoke like Blake's Jerusalem" ties back to the Romantic tradition, where visionaries like William Blake imagined transcendent realities but found themselves alienated from the materialistic world around them.

The poem then shifts to describe a "person" who "saw the business witches in their bowlers" and the "blackened Samsons of the green estate." This figure, possibly representing a poet or intellectual, recognizes the hollowness of the promises made by "London" and the ruling class. The image of "business witches" and "blackened Samsons" paints a grim picture of a society driven by commerce and power, where even the strong are corrupted and diminished.

The stanza that follows presents London as a "promise-giving kingdom," a place of potential that is ultimately unfulfilled. Yet, within this disillusionment, there is a "window / Into the great sick-room, Europe," where intellectual and cultural history still holds sway. The "Cartesian imperatives, Dante and Homer" are symbols of the Western intellectual tradition, which continues to shape and influence even those who feel disconnected from it.

Durrell introduces figures like Bede, St. Augustine, and Jerome, who represent different aspects of Christian thought and history. Bede, "who softly / Blew out desire and went to bed," symbolizes a quiet, contemplative life, in contrast to those who allowed "unconquered guilt" to consume them. St. Augustine’s connection to "bells in an English valley" and Jerome’s "half a home from home" reflect the tension between spiritual longing and the earthly realities that these figures faced.

The imagery of "scythes" marking "paths / For the lucky and unambitious owners" suggests a world where the simple, unassuming life is quietly fulfilled, yet the larger "world" remains elusive and unformed. The sense of incompletion and fragmentation is reinforced by the notion that "Death like autumn falls / On the lakes its sudden forms," a metaphor for the inevitable decay that touches all things, even in the most serene or picturesque settings.

Durrell references "Prospero," the magician from Shakespeare's The Tempest, born to a "green cell," symbolizing both confinement and the power of the mind to transcend it. The poem then shifts to the melancholy reflection of Emily Dickinson, "the dying Emily," whose line "We shall never / Return, never be young again" encapsulates the sense of irrevocable loss that permeates the poem.

The "defeat of purpose in days and lichens" suggests the slow, inevitable decay of both human intentions and the natural world. This decay leads to a sense of resignation, as "some here unexpectedly put on the citizen," accepting their place in the world despite its imperfections. The image of walking to a church "By landscape rubbed in rain to grey" captures the bleakness and monotony of life, even as it continues to hold out the promise of renewal, symbolized by "spring which never comes to stay."

Durrell concludes with a powerful transformation: "So here at last we did outgrow ourselves. / As the green stalk is taken from the earth, / With a great juicy sob, I turned him from a / Man / To Mandrake, in Whose awful hand I am." This final image of the mandrake, a plant with roots often resembling human forms and associated with magic and folklore, represents a profound shift—from human to something more elemental, more connected to the earth and its mysteries. The mandrake’s "awful hand" suggests both power and fear, a symbol of the inescapable forces that shape human existence.

In "Cities, Plains and People: 2," Durrell explores the complexities of cultural and intellectual exile, the tension between spiritual longing and material reality, and the inexorable passage of time that brings both decay and transformation. Through rich, layered imagery and a deeply reflective tone, the poem captures the struggles and insights of those who journey through life, seeking meaning and connection in a world that often seems indifferent to their quest.

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