In March 1936, German troops occupied the Rhineland. As rumors of war spread, Jeffers’ next collection, Such Counsels You Gave to Me, would include indications that he was aware of events in Europe, for instance the poem Contemplation of the Sword (SP 527–8), yet the overall tenor of the collection was apolitical and rather unambitious.

The 1937 collection featured one of his most highly-regarded and most anthologized lyrics, The Purse-Seine (SP 514–5). Jeffers did not appear to think much of the title narrative of this collection.[1] He did not include it in his Selected Poetry (1938), nor would Tim Hunt include it in his remake of Selected Poetry (2001).