Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Kenneth Patchen’s "There Are Not Many Kingdoms Left" is a lyrical, intimate meditation on love, beauty, and the desire to protect purity from the corrupting forces of the world. The poem weaves together sensuous imagery and a deep sense of reverence, constructing a sanctuary for the beloved that exists outside the reach of civilization and its inherent moral decay. Patchen’s language is tender yet infused with a quiet defiance, positioning love and beauty as sacred realms that must be defended against the encroachments of modern society and its institutions.

The poem opens with a delicate, almost ethereal image: "I write the lips of the moon upon her shoulders." This line immediately establishes the speaker’s role as both creator and protector. The act of "writing" suggests an artistic, almost divine power, as if the speaker is inscribing beauty itself onto the beloved’s body. The moon, often a symbol of feminine beauty, mystery, and calm, becomes an intimate presence, its "lips" resting softly on her shoulders. This celestial imagery elevates the beloved to a cosmic level, suggesting that she embodies not just physical beauty but a kind of universal grace.

The speaker continues this act of poetic guardianship: "In a temple of silvery farawayness I guard her to rest." The "temple" evokes a sacred space, a place set apart from the profane world, while "silvery farawayness" reinforces the dreamlike, untouchable quality of the scene. The speaker positions himself as a guardian, not just of the beloved’s physical safety, but of her spiritual purity. The imagery suggests a desire to shield her from the harsh realities of the world, creating an almost mythic space where love and beauty can exist untouched.

This protective impulse is further emphasized in the next lines: "For her bed I write a stillness over all the swans of the world. With the morning breath of the snow leopard I cover her against any hurt." The swans, symbols of grace and purity, are stilled by the speaker’s words, creating a serene, untroubled environment for the beloved’s rest. The "morning breath of the snow leopard" adds an element of the wild and exotic, yet it is described in a way that conveys gentleness rather than danger. The snow leopard, a rare and elusive creature, represents both beauty and strength, qualities the speaker harnesses to protect the beloved from harm. This blending of natural imagery with poetic creation underscores the speaker’s role as both a lover and a poet, using language to craft a world of safety and beauty.

Patchen continues to merge the natural and the cosmic in the following lines: "Using the pen of rivers and mountaintops I store her pillow with singing. / Upon her hair I write the looking of the heavens at early morning." The "pen of rivers and mountaintops" suggests that the speaker draws his creative power from the natural world, infusing his words with the majesty and flow of these elemental forces. The idea of "storing her pillow with singing" conveys a sense of comfort and joy, as if even in sleep, the beloved is surrounded by the music of the world’s beauty. The final image in this sequence—"the looking of the heavens at early morning"—is particularly striking. It suggests a kind of divine gaze resting upon the beloved, a moment of quiet reverence as the world awakens. This celestial attention reinforces the idea that the beloved is not only cherished by the speaker but also honored by the universe itself.

The poem takes a sharp turn with the lines: "-- Away from this kingdom, from this last undefiled / place, I would keep our governments, our civilization, and / all other spirit-forsaken and corrupt institutions." Here, Patchen introduces a critical contrast between the sacred, personal space of love and the external world of politics and society. The "kingdom" the speaker describes is not just a physical space but a symbolic realm of purity and beauty, untouched by the "spirit-forsaken and corrupt" forces of civilization. This shift reveals the poem’s underlying tension: the recognition that the world outside this intimate sanctuary is marked by decay and moral failure. By explicitly naming "governments" and "civilization," Patchen critiques the structures that, in his view, erode the spiritual and emotional richness of life. The beloved and the love they share become a form of resistance, a final "undefiled place" in a world that has otherwise lost its way.

The poem concludes by returning to its opening imagery, but with an intensified sense of reverence: "O cold beautiful blossoms of the moon moving upon / her shoulders . . . the lips of the moon moving there . . . / where the touch of any other lips would be a profanation." The repetition of the moon’s presence on the beloved’s shoulders reinforces the sanctity of their connection. The description of the moon as "cold beautiful blossoms" evokes both delicacy and an untouchable quality, suggesting that the beloved is both cherished and set apart. The final line—"where the touch of any other lips would be a profanation"—cements the sacredness of the beloved’s body and the speaker’s love. The word "profanation" implies that any intrusion from the outside world would defile this purity, emphasizing the speaker’s desire to protect and preserve their love from all external corruption.

Structurally, the poem flows like a quiet, reverent hymn, with its soft, flowing imagery and gentle cadence. The use of repetition and parallel structures—"I write," "I guard," "I store"—creates a rhythmic consistency that mirrors the speaker’s steady devotion. The imagery, drawn from both the natural and celestial realms, elevates the beloved to an almost mythic status, while the sharp critique of societal institutions grounds the poem in a more immediate, political reality.

In "There Are Not Many Kingdoms Left," Patchen offers a poignant meditation on the fragility of beauty and love in a world dominated by corruption and moral decay. The poem’s intimate, tender imagery contrasts sharply with its critique of civilization, positioning personal love as a sacred refuge against the encroachments of a failing world. Through his lyrical language and evocative metaphors, Patchen suggests that while the world may be rife with "spirit-forsaken" institutions, there remain small, personal kingdoms—moments of love and beauty—that are worth preserving at all costs. The poem becomes both a celebration of these fleeting sanctuaries and a lament for their scarcity in a world increasingly marked by loss and disconnection.

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