Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "Cities, Plains and People: 9," Lawrence Durrell explores the complexity of love, desire, and identity through vivid imagery and a tone that combines longing with resignation. The poem delves into the intricacies of communication and the inner turmoil that accompanies intense emotions, focusing on the tension between the spoken word and the unexpressed, the seen and the unseen.

The poem opens with a striking image: "Red Polish mouth, / Lips that as for the flute unform." The "Red Polish mouth" immediately conjures a sense of sensuality and intensity, while the reference to lips that "unform" for a flute suggests a moment of transformation or preparation for expression. The flute, a musical instrument that requires breath and delicate control, becomes a metaphor for the act of speaking or expressing emotion, particularly in a way that is carefully crafted or restrained.

These lips "Gone round on nouns or vowels" highlight the mechanics of speech, where language is shaped and formed. The emphasis on the physical aspects of speaking—how the mouth moves around the elements of language—suggests that there is a tension between the form and the content of what is being said. The poem seems to draw attention to the careful deliberation that goes into speaking, especially when what is being said carries deep emotional weight.

The lips utter "the accepting, calm 'Yes'," a phrase that suggests a passive or resigned acceptance, contrasting with the more powerful and charged verbs that follow: "or make terrible verbs / Like 'I adore, adore'." Here, the act of declaring love ("I adore") is repeated for emphasis, intensifying the emotion but also revealing the vulnerability and power inherent in such declarations. The repetition of "adore" emphasizes the depth of feeling, while the word "terrible" suggests that this love is overwhelming, perhaps even frightening in its intensity.

Durrell then shifts focus to the figure of the "Persuader," a character who is "so long hunted / By your wild pack of selves." This image evokes a sense of fragmentation or multiplicity within the self, where different aspects of the personality or different desires are in conflict. The "wild pack of selves" suggests an inner chaos or turmoil, where peace of mind or even the ability to sleep is elusive due to the constant pursuit by these internal forces.

The phrase "so longed for and so sought" emphasizes the intensity of this inner struggle, where the Persuader is both the object of desire and the one who desires. The use of the word "divider" in "May the divider always keep / Like unshed tears in lashes" introduces the idea of separation or a barrier that prevents the full expression or realization of love. The "unshed tears in lashes" metaphorically represents unexpressed emotions, feelings that are held back or restrained, just as tears might remain unshed.

The poem concludes with the line "Love, the undeclared thought," which encapsulates the central theme of the poem. Love here is something that is deeply felt but not fully articulated, an emotion that exists more as a thought or potential than as a spoken reality. This notion of love being "undeclared" ties back to the earlier tension between what is said and what is left unsaid, what is expressed and what remains hidden.

In "Cities, Plains and People: 9," Durrell explores the complexities of love and identity, focusing on the difficulty of fully expressing deep emotions and the inner conflicts that accompany intense desire. The poem’s imagery of lips, language, and tears underscores the delicate balance between communication and restraint, between the need to express and the fear of exposing too much. Through its rich, evocative language, the poem invites readers to reflect on the ways in which love can be both a source of connection and a cause of inner turmoil, something deeply felt yet often left unspoken.

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