Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Denise Levertov's "Embroidery (IV) Swiss Cheese" is a poignant reflection on memory, loss, and the search for a vanished past. Through evocative imagery and a tone of wistful yearning, Levertov captures the essence of a lost poem and the pastoral life it depicted, highlighting the emotional and sensory connections tied to the memory.

The poem opens with the speaker reminiscing about a "lost wooden poem" from 1947. This phrase immediately sets a nostalgic tone, suggesting that the memory of the poem is as precious and rustic as the wooden homesteads it describes. The scene unfolds with "cows and people wending downmountain slowly," painting a picture of a tranquil, pastoral life where the natural rhythm of the animals guides the pace of human activity. The cows lead, and the families follow, a depiction of harmony and a simple, unhurried existence.

Levertov's imagery is rich and sensory, capturing the "dreamy constancy" of the procession. Children, "asleep in arms of old men," evoke a sense of security and continuity, as the young are carried safely by the elders. The "healthy pallor of smooth cheeks" turned back to the high pastures left for the day, suggests a wholesome, robust life connected to the land. The light waiting to leave as the procession descends adds a temporal dimension, marking the end of a day and the gentle transition from activity to rest.

As the scene darkens, the upper air glows with motes the "color of hay," while the "deep valley darkens." This juxtaposition of light and dark, high and low, enhances the sense of a world both vibrant and quietly settling into evening. The speaker laments the loss of this poem, recalling the fragrance of the cows and the sounds of "hooves and feet on earth, of clumps of good grass torn off, to chew slowly." These specific details create a vivid sensory experience, grounding the reader in the tangible reality of the past.

The return to "wooden buckets" and "lantern-beams crisp as new straw" further enriches the pastoral imagery, emphasizing the simplicity and comfort of rural life. The mention of "Swiss cheese with black bread" conjures an image of hearty, rustic sustenance, while "meadow, wood walls" encapsulate the natural and built environments that define this lost world.

The poem's title, "Embroidery (IV) Swiss Cheese," and the subsequent lines, "I'm looking through holes, in cheese, or pine knotholes," suggest an attempt to piece together fragments of memory. The metaphor of Swiss cheese, with its characteristic holes, aptly captures the speaker's sense of gaps and missing pieces in their recollection. The effort to look through these holes represents the speaker's desire to reconnect with the past and reclaim the lost poem's essence.

The final lines, "and who were those peaceful folk, the poem was twenty years ago, I need it now," convey a deep sense of yearning. The speaker's longing to understand and reconnect with the "peaceful folk" of the poem underscores the emotional significance of this lost memory. The passage of twenty years has only intensified the need for the poem, suggesting that it holds a crucial part of the speaker's identity and sense of continuity.

Levertov's free verse structure allows the poem to flow naturally, mirroring the process of memory and reflection. The language is both precise and evocative, capturing the sensory richness of the lost world while conveying the speaker's profound sense of loss and longing.

In conclusion, "Embroidery (IV) Swiss Cheese" by Denise Levertov is a beautifully crafted meditation on memory, loss, and the enduring search for connection to the past. Through vivid imagery and a tone of wistful yearning, Levertov brings to life a pastoral scene from a lost poem, highlighting the emotional and sensory ties that bind us to our memories. The poem's exploration of gaps and missing pieces in recollection underscores the poignancy of lost moments and the deep need to reclaim them.

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