Denise Levertov's a Time Past

Warm Memories

Denise Levertov's "A Time Past" is a poem illustrating a warm and friendly memory of a distant past that she recalls as if it were yesterday. She uses powerful imagery and symbolism and sets a tone of comfort and joy. An overview of these three tools will show how she developed these throughout the poem.

The first tool that one notices is Levertov's use of imagery. Her mention of "that fall morning" (1.2) brings to mind sunshine, clear skies, and trees covered in bright oranges and reds. Also, the image of granite steps in place of wooden steps brings to mind, not a warm memory, but the reality of the present. But the most striking image is of the loving warmth from the "old wooden steps" (1.1) that are now gone. They were old, creaky and probably broken, but still useful as are our fond memories.

The quietness that was not broken by birds, crickets or even falling leaves is symbolic of a past not interrupted by day to day worries. One can choose to use the quietness of the past to reflect and frame their present and future. The warm inviting steps tell of a friendship that has sustained Levertov throughout the years since those days