Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Lawrence Durrell’s poem "Water-Colour of Venice" is a reflective and richly descriptive meditation on the city of Venice, capturing its unique atmosphere through vivid imagery and a contemplative tone. The poem not only explores the physical beauty of Venice but also delves into its symbolic significance as a place where time, memory, and human experience converge. Through Durrell’s lyrical language, Venice emerges as a city that embodies both the decaying grandeur of old age and the dreamlike quality of second childhood, where reality blurs with art and history.

The poem begins with a reference to Zarian, who remarks that "Florence is youth, / And after it Ravenna, age, / Then Venice, second-childhood." This comparison sets the stage for the poem’s exploration of Venice as a city that exists in a state of graceful decline, a place where the vigor of youth has long passed, giving way to a serene, almost childlike reverie. The idea of Venice as "second-childhood" suggests a return to a simpler, more innocent state, but one that is also tinged with the wisdom and weariness of age. Zarian refers to Misak Medzarents, better known as Misak Metsarents or Zareh Zarian (also spelled "Zarian"). He was an Armenian poet and writer, born in 1886 in the Ottoman Empire and died in 1908 at a young age. Zarian is known for his lyric poetry, which often explores themes of love, nature, and the Armenian cultural identity.

Durrell then describes Venice as a city shaped by the forces of "time / And water, the old siege-masters." This metaphor of time and water as besiegers underscores the city’s vulnerability and the relentless erosion that has defined its history. The "pools of burning stone" evoke the intense heat and light of Venice’s architecture, which has been slowly worn down by the elements. The image of "a thousand saddle-bridges" puffed up by "marble griffins drinking" conveys the intricate and almost fantastical nature of Venice’s infrastructure, where every element seems alive and imbued with a mythic quality.

The poem then shifts to a more fluid, almost surreal image of Venice’s canals, which are likened to "great intestines / Now snapped off like a berg to float." This comparison suggests a city that has been severed from its original purpose or vitality, now drifting aimlessly like a piece of ice detached from a larger whole. The canals, which once served as the lifeblood of the city, have become disconnected, emphasizing the sense of decay and isolation that pervades the poem.

As the speaker reflects on their own experience in Venice, they note that "like others, you have come alone, / To trap your sunset in a yellow glass." This act of capturing the sunset suggests a desire to preserve a fleeting moment of beauty, to hold onto something ephemeral in a city defined by its transience. The image of "a yellow glass" hints at the delicate and fragile nature of such moments, which can be easily lost or forgotten.

The poem continues with a description of a silversmith "Chasing the famous salver of the bay," an image that combines craftsmanship with the natural beauty of Venice. The act of chasing the salver, a type of tray, suggests both the pursuit of perfection and the attempt to capture the essence of Venice’s shimmering waters. This image reinforces the theme of art and life intertwining in Venice, where every detail seems to hold a deeper significance.

Durrell then reflects on the sensory experience of Venice, where "sense dissolves, combines to print only / These bitten choirs of stone on water." This dissolution of sense suggests that Venice is a place where reality becomes blurred, where the boundaries between the physical and the imagined, the past and the present, begin to dissolve. The "bitten choirs of stone on water" evoke the worn and eroded surfaces of Venice’s architecture, which still retain a haunting beauty despite the passage of time.

The poem’s soundscape is captured in the "rumble of old cloth bells," the "cadging of confetti pigeons," and the "boatman singing from his long black coffin." These auditory details contribute to the overall atmosphere of Venice as a place steeped in history and tradition, where the echoes of the past are ever-present. The boatman’s "long black coffin" is a striking image that suggests both the funereal and the timeless, as if the city itself is a vessel carrying the dead and the living through the waters of time.

In the final lines, Durrell reflects on the ultimate futility of trying to add anything new to the vast body of work that Venice has already inspired: "To all that has been said before / You can add nothing." This acknowledgment of the city’s rich cultural and artistic legacy emphasizes the impossibility of fully capturing Venice’s essence. The poem concludes with the image of "sleep" as "thick as a brushstroke" laid over every visage, suggesting a city where time has slowed to a dreamlike state, where the weariness of age is softened by a gentle, pervasive sleep. The "spoonful of sleep" at the bottom of every soul conveys a sense of resignation and peace, as if Venice, and those who inhabit it, have surrendered to the inevitable passage of time.

"Water-Colour of Venice" is a deeply atmospheric and introspective poem that captures the melancholic beauty of Venice, a city caught between memory and decay, art and reality. Durrell’s masterful use of imagery and language invites the reader to contemplate the ways in which time shapes our experiences and the places we inhabit, leaving us with a sense of the profound yet elusive nature of Venice and the human condition.

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