Speaker. The speaker is the character who speaks in, or narrates, a poem—the voice assumed by the writer. As you read, determine whether the speaker is the poet or a voice assumed by Levertov.
Free Verse. Free verse is poetry that avoids use of regular rhyme, meter, or division into stanzas. Notice that this poem is written in complete sentences. Notice also that the breaks between lines and stanzas often occur in the middles of sentences. A poet writing free verse can decide where to break a line or stanza based not on the number of beats, or stresses, in the line but rather on what he or she wants to emphasize. The materials before and after breaks receive the greatest emphasis.
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"The Secret" is from Levertov’s collection O Taste and See, published in 1964. The title poem of that collection encourages people to taste and see “all that lives / to the imagination’s tongue.” Levertov wants us not simply to exist from day to day but to live our lives fully, intensely, engaged with the wonders of the world around us. Such enthusiasm for life, active engagement in the world coupled with imagination, constitutes a secret worth remembering.
As you read the poem, make a cluster chart to list what you learn about the secret. One example has been done for you.
What do you think is the secret of life?
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