Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Pleroma" by Clayton Eshleman is a lush, evocative poem that immerses the reader in a vivid landscape teeming with natural elements and historical resonances. The poem interweaves themes of nature, rebirth, and ancient connections, encapsulating a moment where the natural world intersects with human history and mythological imagery. Eshleman's poetic language is rich with botanical and geological detail, creating a dense tapestry that reflects on the continuity of life and the cyclical patterns of nature.

The poem begins with the simple listing of trees—"Chestnut / linden"—immediately grounding the reader in a specific natural setting that is both serene and dynamic. The atmosphere is charged with the "sudden rain-promising gust" and a "downshift of light," which sets a mood of anticipation and transformation. The elements are animated and active; the wind is described as the "earliest / inseminator," suggesting its fundamental role in pollination and the spread of life, imbuing the scene with a sense of primal fertility.

The reference to the "pyramid left open to the west, let the dead Queen circulate" introduces a mystical, historical layer to the poem. This image evokes ancient Egyptian burial practices where the west, associated with death and the realm of the dead, plays a crucial role. The circulation of the dead queen through the open pyramid suggests a continuity between the past and present, the living and the dead, further emphasized by the invocation of Iris, the Greek goddess who links the gods to humanity.

"Iris, / available to all, / birthing Eros, / Iriseros, perichoresis" these lines blend mythological references with a theological term, perichoresis, which describes the interpenetration and co-inherence of the divine Trinity. This melding of Greek mythology with Christian theology in the context of natural imagery highlights the universal themes of creation, interconnectedness, and the cyclical nature of life.

The sensory experience of the environment is palpably rendered in "Now the trickle / asphalt perfume rising." Here, the return of sunlight after rain is captured in tactile, olfactory details that evoke the fresh, earthy scent of wet asphalt, a common and grounding urban aroma that contrasts with the more pastoral and wild images elsewhere in the poem.

The poem then expands to a broader, more expansive description of the landscape: "The cliffs of Les Eyzies erupt and hold, as if this were the green navel of the Abyss." Les Eyzies, a region in France known for its prehistoric sites and cave paintings, is depicted as the vibrant heart of a profound and ancient abyss, linking the present moment to the deep past of human history.

The enumeration of flora—"wild cherry / thistle dandelion wild artichoke hellbore birch oak chestnut fennel asphodel / & juniper"—serves not just to paint the scene but to root the poem in a place that is wild, untamed, and rich with biodiversity. Each plant is a symbol of resilience and the unbroken continuity of the natural world.

Towards the conclusion, "The linden over the terrace is a shimmering bushel of green, taking the 6 PM light on raised whitened leaf undersides," the focus on light and its interaction with nature highlights the transient beauty of moments as they pass, captured and magnified by the natural surroundings.

Finally, the poem closes with a nod to both prehistoric and mythological time scales: "over / Hotel Cro-Magnon, / a bulging, ribbed, Cretaceous limestone forethinker, / the oolitic / Promethea." This confluence of the geological (Cretaceous, oolitic limestone) with the anthropological (Cro-Magnon) and the mythic (Promethea, referencing Prometheus) encapsulates the poem's overarching themes of deep time, human endeavor, and the mythic dimensions of nature.

In "Pleroma," Eshleman crafts a layered, multifaceted poem that explores the interconnections between the natural world, human history, and mythological narratives, creating a rich meditation on the enduring and interwoven tapestry of life.

POEM TEXT: https://www.google.com/books/edition/From_Scratch/gaRq3n32fBUC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=PLEROMA

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