레버토프의 종교시: 개종의 과정으로서의 시 쓰기

Abstract

From the 1980's on, the Christian theme of incarnation began to emerge in the poetry of Denise Levertov. I have found a certain analogy between her poetics and her journey into her faith. In this article, I have examined six representative poems written from the 1950's to the 1980's to prove it. In "Overland to the Islands," a dog's walking randomly on the road, showing no disdain for anything, is similar to her way of perceiving the world around her. Not in a hurry, but with diverse strides, she created work which enfaithed. In "Illustrious Ancestors," she recalled her Hasidic ancestor, Shneur Zalman and Angel Jones of Mold. His legend as a tailor, as well as a spiritual leader, made her form her ideal of a good poem, one that is hard, structured and mysterious. "Mass for the Day of St. Thomas Didymus" began as an experiment in the structure of a mass, but the experience of writing the poem became a process of conversion for her. At the beginning, her intention was to present an agnostic's mass, but she experienced her own change from agnostic to believer by the time she had completed the poem. In "Of Being" she captured the rhythm of a spiritual life centering on mystery. The strategy to express awe and wonder is portrayed in a way which is faithful to an organic form. Many of Levertov's last poems show the struggle between faith and doubt, and "Tide" is such an example. In this poem she expresses her lack of faith in perceiving God's presence. Further, in "Flickering Mind," she ironically confesses it is not God but she who is absent and that, like a minnow, she often avoids God's presence. It can be said that Levertov's life and career can be seen as a pilgrimage toward faith. As one examines her work, we can see that she achieved a standard of excellence. Her messages were not abstract, or flat statements of propaganda, as some critics have claimed, and I believe the reason for this is that her work begins, not from dogma, but from perception. In her own meditation, the intermingling of her intellect and emotion occurred, which led her into the deeper world of faith.