Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Denise Levertov's poem "The Prayer" recounts a deeply personal and visceral experience at the ancient site of Delphi, intertwining themes of faith, inspiration, and the unpredictable nature of divine intervention. Through vivid imagery and candid reflection, Levertov explores the complexities of seeking and receiving guidance from the divine.

The poem opens with a direct invocation: "At Delphi I prayed to Apollo / that he maintain in me the flame of the poem." This immediate context places the speaker at the heart of ancient Greek spirituality, appealing to Apollo, the god of poetry, music, and prophecy, to sustain her creative spirit. The prayer for the "flame of the poem" metaphorically requests the continuous spark of inspiration and creativity.

Levertov describes her physical reaction to the environment and her actions: "I drank of the brackish spring there, dazed by the gong beat of the sun, mistaking it, / as I shrank from the eagle's black shadow crossing that sky of cruel blue, for the Pierian Spring." The "brackish spring" contrasts sharply with the mythic Pierian Spring, known as a source of poetic inspiration. This misidentification underscores the harshness and confusion of the moment, further accentuated by the oppressive heat ("gong beat of the sun") and the foreboding presence of the eagle's shadow.

The physical consequences of this mistaken act are starkly described: "soon after vomited my moussaka and then my guts writhed for some hours with diarrhoea." These lines ground the poem in a raw, corporeal reality, highlighting the intense discomfort and disillusionment the speaker experiences. The juxtaposition of the lofty prayer with such a bodily reaction underscores the tension between spiritual aspiration and physical reality.

As dusk falls, the speaker reflects on her faith amidst the stones and dust of the goat paths: "I questioned my faith, or within it wondered if the god mocked me." This moment of doubt and introspection reveals the vulnerability inherent in seeking divine favor. The harsh physical experience leads the speaker to question whether her plea was heard or if she was being ridiculed by the god she sought to honor.

However, the poem shifts to a realization of a sustained inner flame: "But since then, though it flickers or shrinks to a blue bead on the wick, there's that in me that burns and chills, blackening my heart with its soot." Despite the initial physical and spiritual trials, the speaker acknowledges a persistent and complex presence within her—a flame that both inspires and troubles her. This flame, while sustaining her creative drive ("flaring in laughter, stinging my feet into a dance"), also brings a sense of darkness and turmoil ("blackening my heart with its soot").

The closing lines suggest a reconsideration of which deity might have responded to her prayer: "so that I think sometimes not Apollo heard me but a different god." This ambiguity reflects the unpredictable nature of divine influence and the multifaceted experience of inspiration. The "different god" implies an unexpected source of both creative energy and inner conflict, suggesting that inspiration can be both a blessing and a challenge.

In "The Prayer," Denise Levertov masterfully blends the physical and the spiritual, the ancient and the immediate, to explore the complexities of faith, inspiration, and the human condition. The poem captures the raw, often contradictory experience of seeking divine guidance and the enduring, albeit tumultuous, presence of creative fire within. Through her vivid and honest portrayal, Levertov invites readers to reflect on their own experiences of seeking and receiving inspiration, and the ways in which the divine can shape and challenge the human spirit.

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