Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Lawrence Durrell's poem "Egg" delves into complex themes of love, death, passion, and the inescapable forces that shape human existence. With vivid and often unsettling imagery, Durrell constructs a narrative that is both cryptic and evocative, inviting readers to explore the depths of the human psyche and the elemental experiences that define life.

The poem opens with the question, "Who first wrapped love in a green leaf, / And spread warm wings on the egg of death," immediately introducing the idea of love and death as intertwined forces. The "green leaf" symbolizes life and growth, while the "egg of death" suggests the potential for life to emerge even from something as final as death. The juxtaposition of these images—love encased in life, yet connected to death—sets the tone for the poem’s exploration of how these forces coexist and shape human experience. The poet’s heart, "hatched like a smooth stone," reflects a sense of emotional coldness or detachment, as if love itself is trapped, "locked" within the confines of this metaphorical green leaf.

Durrell then shifts to the figure of Pity, described as "naked," whose vulnerability is highlighted by the imagery of "cold ankles" and the "ancient pillow." Pity’s feathers, traditionally a symbol of protection and warmth, are now dry, hinting at a loss of compassion or the harshness of a world that no longer nurtures such emotions. The lines "Pity, my friend, fell in with the scorpion: / Murder with his bottle took my sweet" suggest a world where innocence and compassion are corrupted or destroyed by violence and treachery. The scorpion, a symbol of danger and death, and Murder, personified as an entity wielding a bottle, convey the destructive forces that prey on the vulnerable, further reinforcing the poem’s dark and ominous tone.

The poem continues with the introduction of passion, described as "without a leg," a metaphor for its incompleteness or impotence. This image is compounded by the haunting "shrieked like the canticle of a ghost," which conveys a sense of despair and the echoes of something once vital now reduced to mere sound. The bat, another symbol of darkness and fear, "spat his blood in the nursery," tainting the place of innocence and new beginnings. This image of the nursery, typically a space associated with birth and growth, now becomes a vessel of despair, "in darkness but without a compass," suggesting a loss of direction or purpose in life.

Durrell’s use of "Anger" as the force that "first opened the book of the egg" further deepens the sense of a world governed by negative emotions. The "bible of broken boys and natural women" implies a narrative of suffering and hardship that is almost scriptural in its significance, as if these painful experiences are foundational to human existence. The choir, which "sang like a bee in a bush," introduces a moment of natural beauty, yet it is quickly overshadowed by the unsettling image of "hunger, the dog," humming in his paws—a reminder of the ever-present, primal needs that drive human behavior.

As the poem draws to a close, Durrell returns to the motif of time and nature, "wrapped in a green bay-leaf," and the "Roman summer" that "covers the underworld." These lines suggest a cyclical view of life, where time and nature persist despite the dark forces at play. The "Roman summer" evokes a sense of ancient history and the continuity of life, even as it casts a shadow over the underworld, a symbol of death and the unknown.

The final lines of the poem, "O remember the heart hatched like cold stone, / And love in a green leaf locked," bring the reader back to the initial images of the poem, reinforcing the idea that love and life are trapped or constrained by forces beyond control. The heart, "hatched like cold stone," signifies an emotional resilience or hardness born out of suffering, while love remains "locked" within its green leaf, unable to fully emerge or flourish.

In "Egg," Durrell weaves a complex tapestry of imagery and symbolism to explore the tension between life and death, love and suffering. The poem reflects on the inevitability of pain and loss in the human experience, suggesting that these elements are as intrinsic to existence as the natural cycles of time and nature. Through his masterful use of language, Durrell creates a haunting meditation on the fragility of life and the enduring power of the emotions that shape it.

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