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Denise Levertov uses “joy” 47 times in this collection.
I decided to spend time with a couple incidences and learn a little about their textures—how they differ in presentation, other emotional flavors each carries, what meaning it makes of joy & how that making occurs.
I decided to spend time with a couple incidences and learn a little about their textures—how they differ in presentation, other emotional flavors each carries, what meaning it makes of joy & how that making occurs.
The first time joy makes an appearance is in the poem “mad song.” Which operates as a kind of ode, it’s subject being an idealized version of the speaker (one who is “the sanest of her friends” and a comfort in a time of strife). The language implies this is a past self.
The speaker is lamenting the loss of their past honesty and whole-hearted participation in life. Joy enters the picture as a contrast to bitterness, which the speaker feels endowed with an abundance of.
I think in this poem joy operates as a mechanism of acceptance. It stands as the antithesis of bitterness, which often is tied to dissatisfaction, or embodies a sort of cousin-like emotion to longing or desire.
Joy enters as an oppositional force to the “madness” of the speaker
Joy enters as an oppositional force to the “madness” of the speaker
Let’s fast forward through the poems a bit: this portion of the collection is rife with ennui. A compendium of grievances: with the speaker’s self, with the world (esp. the Vietnam War), with American policy, with mankind’s treatment of each other and the earth, etc.
Example:
Example:
Though the poems this portion of the collection operate together as a litany of grief they begin to be interspersed with moments of gratitude and awe. They start out intensely small, and as the poems progress begin to take up more space vs. the part of the lyric that grieves.
In the third poem above (“Dance Memories”) I’m taking joy to be communicated as being fully involved and connected to your body. In a state that is probably similar to what Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi coined as “flow.”
( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology))
( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology))
It becomes apparent as you continue progressing through the collection that “joy” as Levertov conceives it becomes tied to a practice of gratitude.
Another interesting incidence of “joy” in the book comes in a poem called “Liebestod.” It’s used twice here.
A transformation from sorrow to joy occurs in the poem. Directly tied to the speaker experiencing awe.
A transformation from sorrow to joy occurs in the poem. Directly tied to the speaker experiencing awe.
I find this to imply that joy is a destination. One arrives at joy. One may come from anywhere. Even sorrow.
The second instance of “joy” in the poem operates to establish a relationship between the “heart’s sorrow” and a “desire of joy,” and notice how theyre directly adjacent.
The second instance of “joy” in the poem operates to establish a relationship between the “heart’s sorrow” and a “desire of joy,” and notice how theyre directly adjacent.
All throughout the book “sorrow/grief” and “joy” are placed in opposition. Directly paralleling the poems that demonstrate “war” (and the entire military industrial complex) as oppositional to “peace.”
By doing this, I believe Levertov is implying that joy is tied to peace.
By doing this, I believe Levertov is implying that joy is tied to peace.
And I think she’s right (as well as echoes Muriel Rukeyser) in demonstrating that we need new definitions of peace. Peace isn’t simply a lack of war. It must also include justice and the ability for individuals to not only survive with dignity and care, but also thrive.
And I think that for “thriving” to occur in one’s life would involve a practice of joy and a sufficiently abundant experience of joy to promote well-being. So yeah, I’m pretty sure the kind of peace I want (and Levertov wants) involves joy being more accessible to everyone.
But I’ve digressed, if I were to summarize what this collection has affirmed about joy for me it’s that joy involves taking a deep satisfaction and pleasure in some aspect of your existence (including how you&the world interact).
It probably most always manifests viscerally.
It probably most always manifests viscerally.
It is deeply related to sorrow and participates on a similar (maybe damping) wavelength.
[short aside bc damping is cool:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damped_wave]
It is both a practice one can cultivate and an arrival one makes.
It is necessarily temporary in order to be valuable.
[short aside bc damping is cool:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damped_wave]
It is both a practice one can cultivate and an arrival one makes.
It is necessarily temporary in order to be valuable.
And with that I’ll leave you with my favorite occurrence of joy from the collection:
“poets and dreamers studying /
joy together”
And isn’t that what we are?? You & I—poets and dreamers?
“poets and dreamers studying /
joy together”
And isn’t that what we are?? You & I—poets and dreamers?
Here’s a photo of her smiling. It brings me joy.
