Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Lawrence Durrell's poem "Bere Regis" offers a poignant reflection on the experience of a colonial or expatriate figure as he navigates a landscape that is both familiar and estranged. The poem is rich with imagery that contrasts the natural beauty and cultural heritage of England with the feelings of displacement and nostalgia experienced by someone who has lived abroad. Through this lens, Durrell explores themes of identity, language, and the complex relationship between home and memory.

The poem opens with the figure of "The colonial, the expatriate walking here," immediately situating the reader in the perspective of someone who is both a part of and apart from the landscape he observes. The use of "colonial" and "expatriate" underscores a sense of otherness—this person is not fully integrated into the society he walks through, despite his connection to it. He is described as "awkwardly enclosing the commonwealth of his love," suggesting that his affection for this place is sincere but tinged with discomfort or a sense of not fully belonging.

The "lovely expurgated prose-land" that the expatriate stoops to observe evokes an England that has been sanitized or made more genteel, perhaps reflecting a nostalgic or idealized vision of the country. The use of "expurgated" implies that something has been removed or censored from the landscape, just as the expatriate's experience of it is filtered through memory and distance. The references to "winter with its holly locks the schools" and "spring with nature improvises" contrast the harshness of winter, which halts the regular rhythms of life, with the creativity and renewal of spring, where nature takes on a more playful and spontaneous role. The image of the "thrush on ploughland" and the "scarecrow" further ties this sense of improvisation to the rural, agricultural life that defines much of England's pastoral identity.

Durrell then shifts to more specific images that evoke the deep historical and cultural roots of England: "Moss walls, woollen forests, Shakespear, desuetude." These lines bring together elements of the natural landscape ("moss walls," "woollen forests") with the literary heritage of Shakespeare and the concept of "desuetude," or a state of disuse. The poem suggests that the roots of the expatriate's language and identity are as "familiar as salt"—an essential and pervasive presence, but perhaps one that has been taken for granted or forgotten in the distance of time and space.

The "mnemonic valley" described in the next line emphasizes the role of memory in shaping the expatriate's experience of this landscape. The valley is not just a physical place but a repository of memories, where "gnats assort" and "the thrush familiarises." The thrush, a recurring symbol in the poem, represents the connection to nature and the past that remains accessible through memory, even if the expatriate's relationship to it has changed.

Finally, Durrell closes the poem with the image of "a colloquial moon" over the expatriate's cottage. The moon, often a symbol of change and reflection, is described as "colloquial," suggesting that it is both familiar and intimate, yet also ordinary and accessible. This image encapsulates the dual nature of the expatriate's experience: he is at once deeply connected to and distanced from this landscape, finding in it both the comfort of familiarity and the alienation of time spent away.

"Bere Regis" is a meditation on the complexities of identity, memory, and belonging. Through the figure of the colonial or expatriate, Durrell explores how the experience of living abroad can transform one's relationship to home, imbuing it with a sense of both loss and longing. The poem's rich imagery and careful attention to the details of the English landscape create a vivid portrait of a man caught between worlds, finding solace in the memories and symbols of a place that is no longer fully his own.

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