Context/Abt the Poet

• Denise Levertov was an American poet, but she was born in 1927 in Ilford, Essex
• Levertov’s father was Russian, and she considered herself to be “part Jewish, German, English and Welsh”, which caused her to be confused about her identity
• She was a civilian nurse during the Blitz, and met and married an American after the War. She moved to America and became a citizen in 1955.
• Her father was Jewish, but converted to Christianity and Levertov always felt that her culture and religion were important parts of her identity. She converted to Christianity in 1984.
• Denise Levertov wrote it in 1967