Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Denise Levertov's "Despair" poignantly captures a moment of intense grief and mourning, witnessed in a cemetery. Through the lens of a silent observer, the poem explores themes of loss, love, and the different ways in which people cope with the absence of those they cherish. The scene is depicted with vivid imagery and an acute sense of empathy, drawing readers into the emotional landscape of both the mourner and the witness.

The poem opens with the speaker visiting "David's grave," establishing a context of remembrance and mourning. The scene quickly shifts focus to another mourner: "I saw at a little distance / a woman hurrying towards another grave / hands outstretched, stumbling / in her haste." This image of urgency and desperation conveys the woman's deep emotional turmoil. Her physical actions—hands outstretched, stumbling—emphasize her raw need to connect with the grave, highlighting the depth of her sorrow.

As she reaches the grave, her grief becomes even more palpable: "who then fell at the stone she made for / and lay sprawled upon it, sobbing, sobbing / and crying out to it." The repetition of "sobbing" underscores the intensity and uncontrollable nature of her despair. The act of lying sprawled on the grave, coupled with her cries, paints a vivid picture of a person overwhelmed by sorrow, seeking solace from the cold stone that marks the resting place of her loved one.

Levertov's description of the woman—"neatly dressed in a pale coat and seemed neither old nor young"—adds a layer of universality to the scene. The mourner could be anyone, emphasizing that grief transcends age and time. The detail of her neat appearance contrasts sharply with the rawness of her emotions, suggesting that grief can pierce through any exterior semblance of normalcy.

The speaker's internal conflict is evident: "I couldn't see her face, and my friends seemed not to know she was there. / Not to distress them, I said nothing." The speaker is acutely aware of the mourner but chooses to remain silent, respecting her friends' possible desire to avoid additional distress. This decision to say nothing reflects a common human tendency to navigate grief and discomfort by not drawing attention to it, even when deeply moved by another's sorrow.

The poem's turning point comes as the speaker and their friends leave: "But she was not an apparition. / And when we walked back to the car in silence / I looked stealthily back and saw she rose and quieted herself and began slowly / to back away from the grave." This observation reaffirms the reality of the woman's grief and her eventual retreat from the grave, suggesting a momentary catharsis or the exhaustion that follows an intense emotional release.

The final lines offer a poignant reflection on the nature of mourning: "Unlike David, who lives / in our lives, it seemed whoever she mourned dwelt there, in the field, under stone." This contrast between the speaker's relationship with David and the woman's relationship with her loved one underscores different ways of coping with loss. David "lives in our lives," suggesting that his memory is integrated into the daily existence of the speaker and their friends. In contrast, the woman appears to feel that her loved one is bound to the physical grave, her mourning deeply tied to that place.

The poem concludes with a heart-wrenching observation: "It seemed the woman / believed whom she loved heard her, heard her wailing, observed / the nakedness of her anguish, and would not speak." This belief in the presence of her loved one, combined with the silence that follows her cries, encapsulates the essence of despair. The woman's anguish is laid bare, but there is no response, highlighting the isolating nature of grief and the longing for a connection that death has severed.

"Despair" by Denise Levertov is a powerful exploration of mourning, capturing the intense, personal, and often silent nature of grief. Through her vivid imagery and empathetic narration, Levertov invites readers to witness a moment of profound sorrow and to reflect on the different ways people carry and express their love and loss.

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