denise levertov: variation on a theme by rilke

i recently featured a poem by denise levertov entitled “sojourns in the parallel world” and because i was so taken by her writing, i thought that it might be interesting to dig a little deeper. levertov was born in england on october 24, 1923 to a welsh mum and to a dad who was a russian hasidic jew who then converted to christianity and became an anglican parson. with a heritage like that, it follows that you would be extraordinary!

levertov claims that she announced at the age of five that she was going to become a writer and in fact at the age of twelve she sent her writing to no less than t.s. eliot who wrote her a two page letter of encouragement in reply! later levetov married an american and moved to america where she became an american citizen. here she (as did so many others) came under the influence of (among others) the black mountain poets who worked out of the extremely progressive black mountain college. (just for interest’s sake, you should read the list of faculty who at one time worked at this college!)

levertov’s writing tends to focus on politics, war, and religion. here is a fine example of this type of writing “in california during the gulf war”.

in california during the gulf war
 
among the blight-killed eucalypts, among
trees and bushes rusted by christmas frosts,
the yards and hillsides exhausted by five years of drought,
 
certain airy white blossoms punctually
reappeared, and dense clusters of pale pink, dark pink--
a delicate abundance. they seemed
 
like guests arriving joyfully on the accustomed
festival day, unaware of the year's events, not perceiving
the sackcloth others were wearing.
 
to some of us, the dejected landscape consorted well
with our shame and bitterness. skies ever-blue,
daily sunshine, disgusted us like smile-buttons.
 
yet the blossoms, clinging to thin branches
more lightly than birds alert for flight,
lifted the sunken heart
 
even against its will.
                      but not
as symbols of hope: they were flimsy
as our resistance to the crimes committed
 
--again, again--in our name; and yes, they return,
year after year, and yes, they briefly shone with serene joy
over against the dark glare
 
of evil days. they are, and their presence
is quietness ineffable--and the bombings are, were,
no doubt will be; that quiet, that huge cacophany
 
simultaneous. no promise was being accorded, the blossoms
were not doves, there was no rainbow. And when it was claimed
the war had ended, it had not ended.

but it is in her self-reflective pieces that i find the greatest value and resonance. here’s “variation on a theme by rilke”

variation on a theme by rilke
           
a certain day became a presence to me;
there it was, confronting me--a sky, air, light:
a being. and before it started to descend
from the height of noon, it leaned over
and struck my shoulder as if with
the flat of a sword, granting me
honor and a task. the day's blow
rang out, metallic--or it was i, a bell awakened,
and what I heard was my whole self
saying and singing what it knew: i can.

in the course of her writing life, she received many awards, scholarships and fellowships, a sort of testimony to the power and beauty of her poetry. denise levertov died in 1997 at the age of 74. a beautiful tribute to denise was written by fellow poet robert creeley.

if you would like to read more of her work, a collection of denise’s poetry is maintained by chris corrigan. google books has several of her works including selected poems, a door in the hive, breathing the water, this great unknowing, and several others.