Comments on: Levertov’s “Life at War”

By: Praying for Peace « A Litle Bit of Change

Praying for Peace « A Litle Bit of Change — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 07:22:37 +0000

[...] I am reminded of Denise Levertov’s poem “Life at War:” [...]

By: jake

jake — Fri, 07 Oct 2005 08:56:36 +0000

Thanks for that Loren. I like the way it contrasts violence and love. We seem to endlessly wander through these different worlds.

By: rb

rb — Thu, 06 Oct 2005 02:53:59 +0000

I’m a child of war (I suppose everyone is)

I don’t know that human intelligence and emotions can ever make sense of life, other than on an artificial construct, a necessary scaffolding to hang the understanding on for what is really there

and then it seems the vision is more a mirror than a revelation

I don’t see the doings and capacities of man as the measure of God, nor God’s the measure of man

I believe we wrestle with angels
sometimes the very ones who bring us tidings about who and what we are

By: Amanda M

Amanda M — Wed, 05 Oct 2005 05:59:40 +0000

What I appreciate most in Denise Levertov’s work is her ability to ask, to stay with and to illuminate our darkest unanswered questions, the questions you ask in your post, the question Jesus asked of God as he understood God, “My God, why hast thou forsaken me?”, the questions Job asked of God as he understood God, the questions children ask when told of a loving God, when they see so much evidence to the contrary. Questions that are brought up in Martin Scorcese’s film based on Nikos Kazantakis’ “The Last Temptation of Christ.” Rilke’s questions speak in this poem.

And then there is the question inherent in the words of Etty Hillesum, a young Jewish woman, who wrote in the midst of World War II”… but I am no fanciful visionary, God, no school girl with a “beautiful soul.” I try to face up to Your world, God, not to escape from reality into beautiful dreams–though I believe that beautiful dreams can exist beside the most horrible reality–and I continue to praise Your creation, God, despite everything.”

“In a dark time, the eye begins to see…”

Thank you for directing us to the Modern American Poetry comments on “Life at War.”