Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Clayton Eshleman’s "Cemeteries of Paradise" is a profound exploration of the intersections between place, history, and poetic creation, delving deep into the primordial roots of artistic expression. The poem weaves together personal memories, prehistoric imagery, and philosophical musing to create a dense, textured meditation on the origins and purposes of art.

Eshleman begins with a personal anecdote, grounding the poem in a specific time and place: "Said to Caryl at day’s end: this is home," followed by evocative imagery of an aurochs, which blurs the line between reality and imagination. This introduction sets the tone for the poem, suggesting themes of belonging, perception, and the intertwining of the human with the elemental forces of nature.

The reference to the "bulging Les Eyzies cliffs" and the "Lotal twisting chambers where zero flexes" immediately places the reader in the Dordogne region of France, known for its prehistoric cave paintings. The poem situates itself in a landscape that is not only geographically specific but also laden with historical and archaeological significance, the "bulging stone" and "curling home" of prehistoric art hinting at both the shelter and the mystery provided by these ancient caves.

The statement "The gate is open. Miller perceived some of the fix: paradise is not of the French, is truly Upper Paleolithic" introduces a philosophical assertion about the universality and timelessness of this 'paradise.' Eshleman is arguing for a conception of paradise that is rooted in the creative impulse of the earliest human artists, a paradise to be "reclaimed by the poets."

The personal memory of "making love in our farm apartment, spring 1974" juxtaposes the intimate, fleeting moments of personal history against the backdrop of deep time, connecting Eshleman’s own life to the broader currents of human experience. This connection is deepened by the exploration of the landscape around Les Eyzies, "shadowing the curling single lane road, moist outcroppings of limestone walls." The landscape itself becomes a text to be read, "Out of the rock endlessly fabling."

The imagery of the "Uroboric carousel" and the "drifting into origin" suggests a cyclical view of history and life, where beginnings and endings intertwine, reflecting the symbolic significance of the uroboros (a serpent eating its own tail) as something that encompasses the entirety of existence in a single, endless loop.

Eshleman reflects on the act of creating art as a form of connection with this ancient heritage, questioning whether the depiction of animals in cave art could be a form of resurrection or a proto-shamanic dream. These reflections lead him to consider the essence of artistic representation and its implications for understanding life and death.

The poem concludes with a reflection on the act of searching for meaning in the past and the present, the "round trip" of life and death, and the challenge of articulating profound truths through art. Eshleman’s contemplation of the "alpha veil" that refuses to unravel captures the enduring mystery and complexity of human endeavor to understand and represent our place in the cosmos.

"Cemeteries of Paradise" is a rich, challenging poem that spans temporal and spatial distances to probe the depths of human creativity and consciousness. It encapsulates Eshleman’s career-long engagement with the origins of culture and art, asking profound questions about the role of the poet in continuing the endless human dialogue with the past.

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