Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Lawrence Durrell's poem "Patmos" is a vivid and layered exploration of the interplay between nature, the self, and the passage of time, set against the backdrop of the Greek island of Patmos. This island, steeped in history and myth, is famously associated with the apostle John, who is said to have received his visions of the Apocalypse there. However, Durrell's "Patmos" is less concerned with the island's biblical associations and more with the subtle and profound reflections that arise from observing the natural world.

The poem opens with a scene of quiet contemplation: "Early one morning unremarked / She walked abroad to see / Black bitumen and roses / Upon the island shelf." The phrase "unremarked" suggests that the subject of the poem—a woman, perhaps—embarks on this early morning walk unnoticed, blending into the landscape. The juxtaposition of "black bitumen," a substance associated with road construction and industrial use, with "roses," symbols of natural beauty and fragility, creates a striking contrast. This suggests that the island, like many places touched by human hands, carries both the scars of human intervention and the enduring beauty of nature.

As she walks, she listens to "those inexperienced / Thrushes repeat their clauses / From some corruptible tree / All copied in herself." The thrushes, "inexperienced" and perhaps newly awakened, sing their "clauses"—a term that evokes the structure and repetition of language, mirroring the repetitive and instinctual patterns of birdsong. The tree from which they sing is described as "corruptible," hinting at the inevitable decay and mortality that permeates all living things. The idea that these natural sounds and images are "copied in herself" suggests that the woman internalizes the beauty and transience of the world around her, reflecting it within her own consciousness.

The poem then shifts its focus to the larks, which "responsive rose the larks, / Stiffly as if on strings." This image evokes a sense of artificiality, as if the larks' flight is controlled by an unseen puppeteer, rather than being a spontaneous expression of freedom. Their ascent is described as "Ebbing, drew thin as tops," implying a fading or diminishing quality, as if their vitality is being stretched and diluted as they rise.

Durrell's description of the larks' song is particularly striking: "While each in rising squeezed / His spire of singing drops / On that renewed landscape / Like semen from the grape." The image of "singing drops" squeezed from the larks as they rise portrays their song as something precious and condensed, akin to the concentrated essence of life. The comparison to "semen from the grape" introduces a sensual, almost erotic element to the poem, suggesting that the natural world is continually renewing itself through a process that is both fertile and fleeting.

In "Patmos," Durrell captures the delicate balance between the permanence and impermanence of nature, and how this balance is mirrored within the self. The island of Patmos, with its "black bitumen and roses," represents a space where the natural and the human-made coexist, each influencing and reflecting the other. The poem's exploration of birds, trees, and the landscape as mirrors of the self suggests that our experiences and observations of the world around us are deeply internalized, shaping our perceptions and our sense of identity.

Durrell's use of vivid, sensuous imagery emphasizes the interconnectedness of all things—nature, self, time—and highlights the fleeting beauty of life. The poem resonates with a sense of quiet contemplation, inviting readers to consider how the natural world around them, even in its most ordinary moments, reflects deeper truths about existence and the passage of time. "Patmos" is a meditation on the ways in which we internalize the world, how it becomes a part of us, and how we, in turn, leave our mark on it.

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