Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Does this Ezra Pound Poem make you think of Wuxi?

Funny thing, I was cleaning up my pile of books on my bed stand, and found a volume of poetry by Ezra Pound. I opened the book and read the following poem at random:


N.Y. by Ezra Pound

MY CITY, my beloved, my white!

Ah, slender,

Listen! Listen to me, and I will breathe into thee a soul.

Delicately upon the reed, attend me!


Now do I know that I am mad,

For here are a million people surly with traffic;

This is no maid.

Neither could I play upon any reed if I had one.


My City, my beloved,

Thou art a maid with no breasts,

Thou art slender as a silver reed.

Listen to me, attend me!

And I will breathe into thee a soul,

And thou shalt live for ever.



I think the the last six lines of the poem could be written by a Wuxi Expat about Wuxi, the city.

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