Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Mareotis" by Lawrence Durrell is a poem that contrasts the vibrant, awakening force of spring with the somber, constrained atmosphere of a specific place, Mareotis. The dedication to Diana Gould personalizes the poem, perhaps reflecting a shared memory or emotional connection between Durrell and the dedicatee.

The poem begins with a depiction of spring as something just awakening—"Spring opens / Like an eyelid still unfocused." This metaphor suggests that spring is in its early stages, not yet fully realized or defined, but full of potential. The "eyelid" imagery evokes a sense of renewal and the gentle, gradual process of coming to life. The season is described as "smiling and entire, stirring from sleep," indicating a sense of completeness and the promise of new beginnings, though still in a nascent state.

Birds are referred to as "swindlers of the morning," a phrase that adds a touch of cunning to their song, as if they are deceitfully cheerful or masking the true nature of the morning. The idea that "flowers and the wild ways begin" reinforces the theme of renewal and the untamed beauty of nature emerging after a period of dormancy. This renewal also resonates with human experience, as "the body's navigation in its love" is mentioned, linking the physical world with the emotional and sensual experiences of love. The use of "wings, messages, telegrams" to describe how love "roams the world" suggests that these feelings and desires are not confined but are free to wander and reach far beyond physical boundaries.

However, this sense of freedom and renewal is juxtaposed with a sense of confinement in the latter part of the poem. The speaker and perhaps others are "held here on the / Rationed love," implying that while nature is freely expressing itself, the speaker's love or emotional life is restricted, limited by circumstances. The reference to "a landscape like an eye" returning to the earlier eyelid metaphor, creates a sense of observation and perhaps introspection. This landscape, however, is not vibrant or welcoming—it is dominated by the wind "gnashing by Mareotis," a harsh, biting image that contrasts sharply with the gentle awakening of spring.

Mareotis, a lake in Egypt, adds a geographical and historical layer to the poem, suggesting a place marked by history and a different kind of stillness, one that is ancient and enduring but also melancholic. The wind stiffens "the reeds and glistening salt," natural elements that seem to reflect the harshness and austerity of the place. The mention of "ancient roads" touched by the wind evokes a sense of history and the passage of time, as well as the persistence of melancholy—a feeling that lingers, much like the wind itself.

The final lines of the poem bring together these elements, as the wind touches "the melancholy elbow cheek and paper," personifying the landscape and the wind itself, suggesting that this place has a profound emotional impact on those who inhabit it or remember it. The touch of the wind on "elbow cheek and paper" may symbolize a connection between the physical and the emotional, the external environment, and the inner world of the speaker.

In "Mareotis," Durrell skillfully blends the themes of renewal and constraint, freedom and confinement, creating a complex emotional landscape that reflects both the beauty of spring and the enduring melancholy of a place shaped by time and memory. The poem speaks to the universal human experience of longing for freedom and renewal while being held back by circumstances or the weight of history.

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