Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Lawrence Durrell’s poem "Funchal" is a vivid and atmospheric piece that captures the complexities of a traveler’s experience in a specific place—Funchal, the capital of the Portuguese island of Madeira. Through dense and evocative imagery, Durrell delves into the physical sensations and the emotional undercurrents that accompany the speaker’s encounter with the sea, the town, and the surrounding environment. The poem oscillates between the external world and the internal reflections of the traveler, creating a rich tapestry that conveys both the allure and the disquiet of the place.

The poem opens with the "blackish yeast / Of the winter sea," an unusual and striking metaphor that immediately sets the tone of discomfort and unease. The sea, often romanticized in literature, is here depicted as something dark, living, and slightly repulsive—"yeast" suggesting a substance that ferments and grows, evoking a sense of decay or unwanted transformation. The sea "gobbled on a thousand capes," a powerful image that conveys both the sea’s relentless energy and its capacity to consume and erode, mirroring the traveler’s crumbling confidence in the solitude of their journey.

Durrell’s description of the sea rubbing against the land, "crumbl[ing] with the traveller's confidence / In being alone," suggests a deep, almost existential weariness. The traveler is reminded that even in the vastness of the ocean, true solitude is elusive. There is a sense of disillusionment, as if the speaker’s initial expectations of solitude and introspection are undermined by the persistent presence of the sea and its chaotic energy.

The poem then shifts to a depiction of the physical environment aboard the ship. The water "coiled backwards / Like a spring," which suggests a tension and potential energy, as if the sea is constantly pulling back, ready to unleash its power. The tides are described as "idle and uniform as grapes in presses," invoking the image of something being squeezed and reduced to its essence, which might symbolize the traveler’s own experience of being pressed by the monotony and uniformity of the journey. The "horizontal mood" of the water contrasts with the expected dynamism of the sea, suggesting a languor or a flattening of emotions.

Durrell’s sensory imagery is particularly strong in this section, with the smells of "sick and spices, / Red leather and the spermy polish" creating a vivid and somewhat disorienting atmosphere. These smells, associated with the interiors of the ship and the actions of the men aboard, add to the sense of discomfort and unease. The use of "spermy polish" is particularly evocative, suggesting both the act of cleaning and a more visceral, bodily presence, hinting at the physical and perhaps even sexual undertones of life aboard the ship.

Despite the unsettling elements of the sea and the ship, Durrell acknowledges that "night is always night even here," suggesting a kind of universal constancy amidst the strangeness. Night, a time traditionally associated with introspection and mystery, brings a different kind of reflection for the traveler, who is now "Beyond the introspective glare / Of the green islands on the awnings." The green islands, possibly Madeira’s lush landscape, are seen only as reflections on the ship’s awnings, a distorted and distant version of the real thing. The traveler’s view of these islands is mediated through the artificiality of the ship, suggesting a separation from the true nature of the place.

The poem concludes with a mix of romanticism and danger, as the speaker references "St. Vincent copied in the pupils, / Marrow of romance and old sea-fevers." St. Vincent, likely referring to Cape St. Vincent on the southwestern coast of Portugal, evokes historical and romanticized notions of seafaring and exploration. Yet, this romanticism is tempered by the mention of "old sea-fevers," suggesting the dangers and maladies that often accompanied such journeys. The traveler is perched on a "sanded rail above the sharks / On this half-deck polished like a nape," an image that combines beauty and menace. The polished deck, smooth as the nape of a neck, contrasts with the lurking danger of the sharks below, encapsulating the tension between allure and threat that pervades the poem.

"Funchal" is a complex meditation on the intersections of place, experience, and emotion. Durrell’s use of rich, sensory language draws the reader into the traveler’s world, where the natural beauty of the sea and the islands is intertwined with feelings of discomfort, disillusionment, and unease. The poem captures the dualities of travel—its potential for both romantic discovery and existential discomfort—through a series of vivid, contrasting images that leave the reader with a lingering sense of both the allure and the peril of the journey.

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