Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

  Denise Levertov's "The Malice of Innocence" explores the complexities and contradictions of working in a hospital ward, especially during the night shifts. The poem captures the sense of order and control that the routine provides to the young nurses, while also acknowledging the underlying presence of suffering, death, and the intoxicating power that comes with their roles.

The poem begins with the speaker recalling a scene from a film: "A glimpsed world, halfway through the film, / one slow shot of a ward at night / holds me when the rest is quickly / losing illusion." This opening sets the tone for the poem, where a brief visual triggers a deep, almost nostalgic reflection on the speaker's past experiences in a hospital. The "strange hold" of this memory is compared to "romance" or "glamor," not because the speaker had illusions about it, but because it was a significant part of her life—a real, lived world.

Levertov vividly describes the night ward with its "Greenshaded lamp glowing / on the charge desk, clipboards / stacked on the desk for the night," evoking a sense of calm and order. The night is filled with "sighs and waiting, waiting-for-morning stirrings," painting a picture of a place that is "warm, orderly, / and full of breathings as a cowbarn." This comparison to a cowbarn brings out the rhythmic, almost pastoral quality of the ward, despite its association with suffering and death.

The poem acknowledges the dominance of "Death and pain" in the ward, where even those who are cured leave "still weak, / still tremulous, still knowing mortality / has whispered to them." The image of "the folding / of white bedspreads according to rule" being akin to "the starched pleats of a shroud" underscores the omnipresence of death. Yet, there is a "glamor" in the "night routine," a rhythm and "choreographic decorum" that the speaker finds compelling.

As the poem progresses, the speaker reflects on the power dynamics of the night shift: "when all the evening chores had been done / and a multiple restless quiet listened / to the wall-clock's pulse," the nurses "gravely dancing – starched / in our caps, our trained replies, / our whispering aprons – the well-rehearsed / pavanne of power." The description of their movements as a "pavanne" (a slow, stately dance) highlights the ceremonial aspect of their duties and the sense of control they wielded.

The speaker admits that it was "not compassion" but "power" that fueled their fervor: "I hated / to scrub out lockers, to hand out trays of / unappetizing food... / But I loved the power / of our ordered nights." This candid admission reveals a complex interplay between duty, routine, and the intoxicating allure of authority. The speaker takes pride in the "gleaming surfaces" and the "knowing what to do, and doing it," finding satisfaction in the diminishing list of tasks and the readiness for emergencies.

The poem concludes with the speaker lost in the memories of the "death rooms," recalling the blend of order and cruelty that characterized her experience: "remembering being (crudely, cruelly, / just as a soldier or one of the guards / from Dachau might be) in love with order." This comparison to soldiers or guards at a concentration camp is jarring, highlighting the potential for dehumanization and the dangerous allure of power and control.

"The Malice of Innocence" by Denise Levertov is a profound meditation on the dualities of nursing—the compassion and the control, the routine and the chaos, the life-saving and the life-ending. Through her vivid imagery and honest reflection, Levertov captures the nuanced reality of those who work in healthcare, revealing the inherent contradictions and the deep emotional impact of their roles.

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