Lethe Essay Questions

After reading "Lethe," what do you think H.D.'s speaker might presume about human nature?

The speaker, although aware of the exquisite, sensory beauty and the ecstasy of human connection that comes with living, seems certain that the addressee longs for a kind of pleasure beyond feeling—a numbing release. The poem ends with the bold assertion that the addressee will pine all night for a metaphorical lethe or wave of oblivion to overcome him or her—the intensity of which goes beyond the desire for love, communion with nature, or consciousness.

What is the effect of the litany that lasts throughout the poem?

The litany of natural imagery, as well as the mention of the "touch" and "sight" of a lover, held together with a series of "nor" phrases, serves as an evocative reminder to the reader of the many compelling and unique aspects of waking life. At the same time that the speaker illustrates a series of inviting scenes, she emphasizes that the longing to be covered by the tide, or to experience some kind of submersion, is stronger than the appeal of cognizance and sensory enjoyment. The construction is clever in its ability to create desire in the reader for these scenes of life. This desire she cultivates in the reader makes her claim that we will prefer the vacuum of "Lethe," as something even more intense than the pleasures she has described.