Showing posts with label Ezra Pound N.Y. Wuxi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ezra Pound N.Y. Wuxi. Show all posts

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.