Denise Levertov, an English-born American poet, published "What Were They Like" as part of her 1967 collection The Sorrow Dance. The poem was written in protest of American involvement in the Vietnam War. In it, Levertov imagines a future in which the Vietnamese people and their culture have been more or less wiped out by the war. The poem takes the form of a conversation of sorts, with one speaker asking questions about Vietnamese people and culture and another offering only inconclusive answers that highlight the horror of the conflict. "What Were They Like" ultimately underscores the inhumanity of war, exploring the ways it harms innocent civilians and suggesting the incalculable loss of eradicating an entire people.
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1) Did the ...
... opening of buds?
3) Were they inclined ...
... silver, for ornament?
5) Had they an ...
... speech and singing?
1) Sir, their light ... turned to stone.
It is not ...
... lanterns illumined pleasant ways.
2) Perhaps they ...
... no more buds.
3) Sir, laughter ...
... bones were charred.
5) It is ...
... rice and bamboo.
When peaceful clouds ...
... sons old tales.
When bombs smashed ...
... like a song.
It was reported ...
... is silent now.
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
War Resisters League — The website for the War Resisters League, of which Levertov was a member.
Black Mountain School — An introduction to the Black Mountain poets, who were a significant influence on Levertov's work.
An Overview of the Vietnam War — A fairly in-depth overview of the Vietnam War, including a timeline.
The Poem Out Loud — A reading of the poem from Literature Today UK.
Leverton's Biography — Read more about the poet and her work at the Ppoetry Foundation.
Vietnam War Poetry — A collection of other poems written in response to the Vietnam War.