Greg Kerr
100
the senses and alter the poet-observer’s cognitive processes, temporarily overwhelming him. This registers in the “electrification” of his
language, as may be seen in the recurrent exclamations scattered
through the poem. In the interior of the temple the poet glimpses
steppes and savannahs, coconut trees and the Imperial Canal of China.
Elsewhere, sensual stimuli are foregrounded via the inclusion of exotic motifs, notably in stanza Sixteen; here the encounter with Arabs,
Chinese, Malays and Tartars is accompanied by coffee, tea, perfumes
and feasts.
On a formal level, the alternations of line and stanza length
suggest that the mode of the poet-observer’s apprehension of this dynamic configuration of space is primarily fragmentary. One of the
most metrically uniform passages of the poem occurs between stanzas
Six and Eight, where line lengths range between seven, eight and nine
syllables. This corresponds to the poet’s identification of some of the
more easily discernible features of the exterior of the structure; these
include minarets, the telegraph pole, a lighthouse, towers and pyramids. The restricted line length suggests a pattern of succinct glimpses
of each of these features, a point which would appear to be confirmed
on a thematic level by the description of “le phare/ propice au navigateur”.
20 By contrast, line lengths in stanza Nine are more expansive,
as the poet’s gaze penetrates the part of the structure which lies below
ground. Unexpectedly, the movement inside and underground does
not correspond to spatial economy or to a narrowing of viewpoint. Instead a wealth of perspectives is opened up as the poet’s gaze reveals
complex spatial deployments within the edifice’s core; this is suggested lexically in this stanza by the “labyrinthes”, “carrefours”, and
the “entrailles” which are “disposées avec un art infini”.
21 Meanwhile,
the rhythmical potential of alternate variations in line length is explored in stanza Twelve, notably in the following passage:
[…] les jets d’eau
qui rafraîchissent les avenues et les portiques,
les parvis et les voûtes;
par les pierres et les blocs qui y sont suspendus
ou qui le parsèment,
par les cristaux taillés et colorés […].
22
___________________________
20 Chevalier, “Le Temple”, p. 238.
21 Chevalier, “Le Temple”, p. 238.
22 Chevalier, “Le Temple”, p. 239.
100
the senses and alter the poet-observer’s cognitive processes, temporarily overwhelming him. This registers in the “electrification” of his
language, as may be seen in the recurrent exclamations scattered
through the poem. In the interior of the temple the poet glimpses
steppes and savannahs, coconut trees and the Imperial Canal of China.
Elsewhere, sensual stimuli are foregrounded via the inclusion of exotic motifs, notably in stanza Sixteen; here the encounter with Arabs,
Chinese, Malays and Tartars is accompanied by coffee, tea, perfumes
and feasts.
On a formal level, the alternations of line and stanza length
suggest that the mode of the poet-observer’s apprehension of this dynamic configuration of space is primarily fragmentary. One of the
most metrically uniform passages of the poem occurs between stanzas
Six and Eight, where line lengths range between seven, eight and nine
syllables. This corresponds to the poet’s identification of some of the
more easily discernible features of the exterior of the structure; these
include minarets, the telegraph pole, a lighthouse, towers and pyramids. The restricted line length suggests a pattern of succinct glimpses
of each of these features, a point which would appear to be confirmed
on a thematic level by the description of “le phare/ propice au navigateur”.
20 By contrast, line lengths in stanza Nine are more expansive,
as the poet’s gaze penetrates the part of the structure which lies below
ground. Unexpectedly, the movement inside and underground does
not correspond to spatial economy or to a narrowing of viewpoint. Instead a wealth of perspectives is opened up as the poet’s gaze reveals
complex spatial deployments within the edifice’s core; this is suggested lexically in this stanza by the “labyrinthes”, “carrefours”, and
the “entrailles” which are “disposées avec un art infini”.
21 Meanwhile,
the rhythmical potential of alternate variations in line length is explored in stanza Twelve, notably in the following passage:
[…] les jets d’eau
qui rafraîchissent les avenues et les portiques,
les parvis et les voûtes;
par les pierres et les blocs qui y sont suspendus
ou qui le parsèment,
par les cristaux taillés et colorés […].
22
___________________________
20 Chevalier, “Le Temple”, p. 238.
21 Chevalier, “Le Temple”, p. 238.
22 Chevalier, “Le Temple”, p. 239.