Depression and
discontent
prevail.
A-Companion-to-the-Cantos-of-Ezra-Pound-II
.
.
Glossary
142. pathema
tion . . . not separate [from mind]" [EH, Pai, 1-2,273; CFT, Pai, 2-3, 451-452].
aphistatai:
H, "affec-
"penetrating
view,ND 17, p. 175, 176.
1. Monsieur
"M. de Talleyrand, finding scarcely anyone but M. de Remusat who could understand him, disclosed to him the political views with which the victories. of our armies in- spired him" [Memoirs,301].
2. junipers, . . . : "Junipers love southern, dry exposure where the snow melts quickly, while northern exposures are always occu- pied by spruces, firs and hemlocks" [Na-khi, 1,270] .
3. Talleyrand: [70:15,20; 86:10; 95:13]. The change in Pound's attitude toward both Napoleon and his minister in the later cantos has been called by several scholars their reha- bilitation.
4. Chalais, Aubeterre: These towns "Near Perigord" were part of the stronghold of the
de
Remusa! :
family since the
5. snow-flakes . . . rain: "The wind was biting, and during the three months of au- tumn the mists and the rains obscured the view. Snowflakes were as large as the palm of the hand. It rained from morning to night" [Na-khi, II, 281].
6. Trees . . . willows: "The trees along the bank are mostly willows, while several spe- cies of oaks grow on the lower half of the mountain slopes" [Na-khi, II 298? 299].
7. Kublai . . . hither: These lines concern a pagoda believed to have been built by Kublai Khan, on which an inscription written in Tibetan says, "Erected in the fire-female- sheep year, in the beginning of the year, in the third moon, on the 14th day, on a full
[100:110].
T alleyrand
Ages [DD,Pai, 1-1,61].
early Middle
? ? 654
101/723-724
101/724
655
moon, on a Thursday. " About this date, Rock [110:54] says: "the date given . . . can only be April 26, 1307, or the eleventh year of the period of Ta-te . . . of the Mongol Emperor Ch'eng Tsung . . . (Timur or 01- cheitu). It could not have been the year 1247" [Na-khi, II, 298n. ]. Pound prefers the earlier date.
8. Forest . . . dawn . . . : Perhaps Kublai's men coming from the forest, through moun- tain ice, back down to the emerald grass at dawn [CFT,Pai, 3-1107].
9. Ideogram: [M6037], "dawn. "
10. larix . . . armandi: Of a place called A-tun-tzu, Rock says: "The vegetation here is composed mostly of junipers, Larix, Cara- gana jubata . . . and Berberis . . . . A few Ii beyond we reach the hamlet of I-chia-p'o . . . two stages from A-tun-tzu, a distance of about 105 Ii [I Ii - a bit less than 1/3 mile] . . . . Here the oak forest gives way to pines, Pinus yunnanensis and Pinus Arman- di" [Na-khi, II, 344-345].
11. Thiers: Adolphe T. , 1797-1877, French statesman, journalist, legal adviser, and his- torian. He was a moderate liberal whose work in the journal National helped bring about the July Revolution of IS30 [104: passim]. During a long life, he seems to have been involved in all the major events of the century, in a way that led once to his arrest and exile. If Napoleon III had listened to him, history would have been different, as in the Franco-Prussian War of IS70, which he stronglY,opposed.
12. Simon: Jules S. , IS14-1S96, French statesman and philosopher and author of Le Gouvemement de M Thiers (2 vols. ), Paris, 187S. He taught at the Sorbonne (1839- IS52) but lost that job because he refused to swear allegiance to Louis Napoleon. From
IS63 to 1875 he served as deputy and then was made a senator for life. A much more liberal man than Thiers, his admission of something proposed by Thiers, for example in monetary reform of taxation, would be an endorsement of its good sense.
13. 4 letters . . . horses: The Mongol and Ming emperors, throughout "Eight Genera- tions of Na-khi Chiefs," held ceremonies in- vesting the chiefs with imperial power to govern. Documents and gifts, such as letters and seals, gold belts, and horses, were ex- changed. [CFT,Pai, 3-1,103].
14. Mr. Kennan: George K. , IS45-1924, American authority on Siberia, who from 1864 on was the romantic image of an ex- plorer and-through such books as Tent Lile in Siberia (1S70) and Siberia and the Exile System (1891)-an inspiration to the young.
15. 40 years . . . : Prob. reference to Ken- nan's life of travel.
16. (Del Pelo Pardi: Guilio Del Pelo Pardi, Italian anthropologist and agricultural engi- neer; author ofAgricoltura e civilta [Agricul- ture and civilization], 1923, and Per la pace del mondo [On the peace of the world], 1924. Pardi, who worked with Pound's son- in-law, Boris de Rachewiltz, discovered some ancient canals near Rome which he called "a perfectly engineered irrigation system" and said they "were far too old by many thou- sands of years to fit in with established chro- nology" [NS, Reading, III].
17. cunicoli: I, "subterranean passages. "
18. Peabody: Prob. a patient at St. Eliza- beths who was fond of saying, "to unscrew the inscrutable. " The Peabody Coke and Coal Co. is now called the Peabody Holding Co. , Inc. (301 N. Memorial Dr. , St. Louis M.
63102]. The president of the company writes that a search has not revealed any- body in the records by the name of Warren G.
19. "infini" . . . humaine": F, "endless . . . [is] human stupidity. "
20. Renan: Ernest R. ,. 1823-92, French his- torian and critic. Author of the 8-vol. His- toire des origines chn'stianisme, of which the shocking Vie de Jesus was the first volume.
21. one dollar's worth . . . : The sentence starts with Peabody and ends with this illus- tration of inscrutable stupidity [98/68S].
22. Talleyrand . . . : According to Mme. Remusat, Talleyrand spent some hours re- working the hastily penned details Napoleon had written regarding the peace he had agreed to with the emperors Alexander (Rus- sia) and Francis (Austria) after the battle of Austerlitz in IS05 [Memoirs, 304-305].
23. "90 francs . . . note": "Money become still more scarce; in fact, it attained such a price that . . . 1 had to pay ninety francs merely for obtaining gold for a thousand-franc bank-note" [Memoirs, 321].
24. Cambaceres: Jean Jacques Regis de C. , 1753-1824, French revolutionary who rose to be archchancellor of the empire. He helped formulate the Napoleonic Code and the constitutional relationship ofitaly to the empire. He was made duke of Panna in 1808. Mme. de Remusat mentions rum sev- eral times as a vain and pompous man who returned flattery with favors [Memoirs, 321-322].
25. A constitution: "That portion of Italy [area of Genoa] was at once divided into new departments, and shortly afterwards [June 4, 1805] the new constitution was sent to the Italian Legislature and Prince Eugene was made Viceroy of the kingdom"
(Memoirs, 264].
26. Xmas . . . maximum: The peace treaty after Austerlitz seems to Pound the height of N's power: "M. de Talleyrand returned to the Court after signing the treaty, and once more peace seemed restored to Europe-at any rate, for a time. Peace was signed on Christmas Day, IS05" [Memoirs, 320].
. . .
improved the system of taxation" [Memoirs, 345].
28. Mt Cenis, Simplon: "Roads over Mont Cenis and the Simplon were actively pushed on; bridges were built, roadways repaired"
[ibid. ] .
29. Mme. Remusat: "Madame de Remusat writes on the 12th of December, IS06: 'We ought to be very cautious in our correspon- dence. . . . Peace! People scarce hope for it here.
Depression and discontent prevail. . . . This feeling is) no doubt, unjust; for, after all, there are cases in which even men of the strongest mind are carried along by circum- stances farther than they wish, and I can not believe that a great mind will seek for glory in war' " [Memoirs,455n. ].
30. Jena: "In the name of the Emperor. The University of Jena, its professors . . . its pos- sessions . . . are placed under the special pro- tection of the commanders of the French and allied troops. The course of study will be continued" [Memoirs, 481].
31. "Liberty . . . : Mme. R. says Napoleon used to say: "Liberty is needed by a small and privileged class, who are gifted by nature with abilities greater than those of the bulk of mankind. It can therefore be restricted with impunity" [Memoirs, 506].
32. Hottenguer: [S9: lSI].
33. Neuflize: The Haute Banque Parisienne was a group of private banks which had connections with the Rothschild brothers. Among these groups were Mallet Freres and Henrotte & Muller, all with powerful re- sources. A subgroup called the Haute Banque Protestante was formed after 1800. This group included "Hottinguer & Cie . . . together with de Neuf/ize & Cie" [Emden, Powers, 394-395]. This group of private bankers undid the work of such people as Marbois and Mollien [cf. 27 above] and be- came their Nessus,
34. Nessus: [S7:5S]. The shirt-of-fire caused by the blood of Nessus became so painful to Hercules that he caused his mortal
27. Marbois
became possible for him [Napoleon] to di- vert his attention . . . from foreign affairs, he devoted it to. . . finances. . . . M. Barbe- Marbois, Minister of the Treasury, having incurred his displeasure, was replaced by M. Mollien, who was a skillful financier. The Emperor was ably seconded by his Minister of Finance, Gaudin, whose perfect integrity and sound knowledge sustained credit and
Gaudin: "As soon as
it
had
? ? 656
body to be consumed by the flames of a funeral pyre.
35. Remusat: Source of remark unknown.
36. Gaudin: "Indirect taxes were ventured on to a greater extent than before; luxury, which would render these taxes more pro~ ductive, was encouraged; and the heavy COll' tributions which the Emperor had every? where levied upon his conquered enemies afforded him the means, without burdening his people, of keeping up the strength of his
army" [Memoirs, 345]. "M. Gaudin, the wise Minister of Finance, observed an order and regularity in the management of taxes and receipts which rendered him valuable to
the Emperor" [ibid. , 520].
37. KangHi: [98:111,112].
38. Mme d'Houdetot: No one could possess more-I will not say goodness, but more kindness than Mme. d'Houdetot. Goodness implies the choice of good as against evil; it perceives the evil and forgives it. Mme. d'Houdetot never perceived evil in any
one" [Memoirs, 681? 682].
39. Yeats: Musical figure on a scene men? tioned earlier and later [113/789; Pai, 1-1,53].
. . .
1933" [Pai, 3? 1, 107? 108; Na-khi, II, 418].
41. Bears . . . fields: "No hunting is per- mitted, and here roam many bears who live on the oaks, and often come to the fields of the villages and eat their broad beans and peas" [Na-khi, II, 418].
42. Elzeard Bouffier: A French farmer who during three years planted 100,000 trees in a wilderness, thereby creating a forest. Having lost his only son and his wife, he withdrew to a place he thought was dying for want of trees. So, "having no pressing business of his
101/725
own, he . . . resolved to remedy this state of affairs" [Jean Giono, Vogue, 15 March, 1954, p. 157; MB, Trace, 401].
43. Vergons: A small Alpine village between Castellane and Annot on the Isde River. The mountain-gorge atmosphere is a rhyme with Lion Mountain of the Na-khi [ef. 45 below].
44. Kuanon's eye: [90/606]. "On the top of this hill is a temple with a huge figure of Chenrezig with the thousand arms and eyes (Kuan? yin . . . of the Chinese). . . . The trail leads along . . . the edge of the larger basin up the pine and oak covered spur" [Na-khi, 11,412].
45. Sengper ga-mu: "One of the most con- spicuous landmarks which confront the lake on the north, is the southern face of Shih- tzu Shan (Lion Mountain; Seng-ge gao mu). . . . This mountain is mirrored in the lake, its broad face representing the lion's head. . . while its body extends to the north" [Na-khi, II, 418; several key plates
from Rock are reproduced in Pat, 3-1, 110-116].
46. To him we burn . . . : "Immediately back of the main building is a shrine dedi- cated to the mountain goddess Seng-ge ga- mu . . . an incense burner in front of the shrine belches forth white smoke in the morning and evening, when pine branches are burnt as offering to the mountain god- dess" [Na-khi, II, 426].
47. The hills . . . : "Junipers grow on all the lofty peaks of the district of Yen-yuan, giv- ing the latter a blue? green tint. The dragon- like rivers flow zigzag over its land" [Na-khi, II,444].
48. AchiIoos: The longest Greek river, which flows through a similar mountainous landscape. In Pound's translation of Trachi- niae (1954), Deianeira speaks of the wooer Akheloos as the river, rather than the river- god, which winds in serpentine fashion
[Peck, Agenda, 49].
49. one man . . . : "It [a mountain trail] passes over the lofty peaks, covered with
101/725-726
fragrant junipers, can safely be guarded by
one man" [Na-khi, II, 444].
50. Mt. Segur: [87: 10I] . The stronghold of
the Albigensians [23:28] had a similar nar- row pass which they held against Simon de Montfort [23:26] in his crusade against them.
51. TSO: [M6784], "rope made from bamboo-splints. " "The reason why so many places were called Tso (Bamboo rope) was because the aborigines used rope bridges to cross the large rivers" [Na-khi, 11,446].
52. land tax: "The territory pays an annual land-tax of 70 Shih . . . of buckwheat" [Na- khi, II, 454].
53. Tolosa: [80:186]. Rhyme with unadul- terated food theme [45:5; 74/428; 80/493].
54. Gubbio: A town in Umbria, central Italy.
55. L'iI Josephine: Prob. a local radio per? sonality.
56. Wilson (McN. ): R. McNair W. , one of Pound's favorite writers on money and bank- ing; author of Promise To Pay: An Inquiry into the Principles and Practice of the Latter-Day Magic Called Sometime High Fi- nance, London, 1934.
57. KALaN KAGATHON: H, "Noble and brave. " Homeric epithet.
58. Marengo: A village in NW Italy which was the scene of a famous battle between Napoleon and the Austrians. Mme. R. says: "He [Napoleon] held a grand review on the battlefield of Marengo, and distributed crosses on that occasion. " [Memoirs, 260]. They were prob. given to "noble and brave" soldiers.
59. This aura . . . crimson: Formulaic lines from alchemy found in many places: "Fire is the soul of the Great All. . . . Light? gold . . . fire in its concrete state . . . Flamma! Yes, fire that is all. The diamond exists already in the charcoal, gold in fire" [Read, Alchemy p. 90].
657
40. Tsung-Kuan
Rock [110:54] knew personally and remem- bered fondly.
Glossary
142. pathema
tion . . . not separate [from mind]" [EH, Pai, 1-2,273; CFT, Pai, 2-3, 451-452].
aphistatai:
H, "affec-
"penetrating
view,ND 17, p. 175, 176.
1. Monsieur
"M. de Talleyrand, finding scarcely anyone but M. de Remusat who could understand him, disclosed to him the political views with which the victories. of our armies in- spired him" [Memoirs,301].
2. junipers, . . . : "Junipers love southern, dry exposure where the snow melts quickly, while northern exposures are always occu- pied by spruces, firs and hemlocks" [Na-khi, 1,270] .
3. Talleyrand: [70:15,20; 86:10; 95:13]. The change in Pound's attitude toward both Napoleon and his minister in the later cantos has been called by several scholars their reha- bilitation.
4. Chalais, Aubeterre: These towns "Near Perigord" were part of the stronghold of the
de
Remusa! :
family since the
5. snow-flakes . . . rain: "The wind was biting, and during the three months of au- tumn the mists and the rains obscured the view. Snowflakes were as large as the palm of the hand. It rained from morning to night" [Na-khi, II, 281].
6. Trees . . . willows: "The trees along the bank are mostly willows, while several spe- cies of oaks grow on the lower half of the mountain slopes" [Na-khi, II 298? 299].
7. Kublai . . . hither: These lines concern a pagoda believed to have been built by Kublai Khan, on which an inscription written in Tibetan says, "Erected in the fire-female- sheep year, in the beginning of the year, in the third moon, on the 14th day, on a full
[100:110].
T alleyrand
Ages [DD,Pai, 1-1,61].
early Middle
? ? 654
101/723-724
101/724
655
moon, on a Thursday. " About this date, Rock [110:54] says: "the date given . . . can only be April 26, 1307, or the eleventh year of the period of Ta-te . . . of the Mongol Emperor Ch'eng Tsung . . . (Timur or 01- cheitu). It could not have been the year 1247" [Na-khi, II, 298n. ]. Pound prefers the earlier date.
8. Forest . . . dawn . . . : Perhaps Kublai's men coming from the forest, through moun- tain ice, back down to the emerald grass at dawn [CFT,Pai, 3-1107].
9. Ideogram: [M6037], "dawn. "
10. larix . . . armandi: Of a place called A-tun-tzu, Rock says: "The vegetation here is composed mostly of junipers, Larix, Cara- gana jubata . . . and Berberis . . . . A few Ii beyond we reach the hamlet of I-chia-p'o . . . two stages from A-tun-tzu, a distance of about 105 Ii [I Ii - a bit less than 1/3 mile] . . . . Here the oak forest gives way to pines, Pinus yunnanensis and Pinus Arman- di" [Na-khi, II, 344-345].
11. Thiers: Adolphe T. , 1797-1877, French statesman, journalist, legal adviser, and his- torian. He was a moderate liberal whose work in the journal National helped bring about the July Revolution of IS30 [104: passim]. During a long life, he seems to have been involved in all the major events of the century, in a way that led once to his arrest and exile. If Napoleon III had listened to him, history would have been different, as in the Franco-Prussian War of IS70, which he stronglY,opposed.
12. Simon: Jules S. , IS14-1S96, French statesman and philosopher and author of Le Gouvemement de M Thiers (2 vols. ), Paris, 187S. He taught at the Sorbonne (1839- IS52) but lost that job because he refused to swear allegiance to Louis Napoleon. From
IS63 to 1875 he served as deputy and then was made a senator for life. A much more liberal man than Thiers, his admission of something proposed by Thiers, for example in monetary reform of taxation, would be an endorsement of its good sense.
13. 4 letters . . . horses: The Mongol and Ming emperors, throughout "Eight Genera- tions of Na-khi Chiefs," held ceremonies in- vesting the chiefs with imperial power to govern. Documents and gifts, such as letters and seals, gold belts, and horses, were ex- changed. [CFT,Pai, 3-1,103].
14. Mr. Kennan: George K. , IS45-1924, American authority on Siberia, who from 1864 on was the romantic image of an ex- plorer and-through such books as Tent Lile in Siberia (1S70) and Siberia and the Exile System (1891)-an inspiration to the young.
15. 40 years . . . : Prob. reference to Ken- nan's life of travel.
16. (Del Pelo Pardi: Guilio Del Pelo Pardi, Italian anthropologist and agricultural engi- neer; author ofAgricoltura e civilta [Agricul- ture and civilization], 1923, and Per la pace del mondo [On the peace of the world], 1924. Pardi, who worked with Pound's son- in-law, Boris de Rachewiltz, discovered some ancient canals near Rome which he called "a perfectly engineered irrigation system" and said they "were far too old by many thou- sands of years to fit in with established chro- nology" [NS, Reading, III].
17. cunicoli: I, "subterranean passages. "
18. Peabody: Prob. a patient at St. Eliza- beths who was fond of saying, "to unscrew the inscrutable. " The Peabody Coke and Coal Co. is now called the Peabody Holding Co. , Inc. (301 N. Memorial Dr. , St. Louis M.
63102]. The president of the company writes that a search has not revealed any- body in the records by the name of Warren G.
19. "infini" . . . humaine": F, "endless . . . [is] human stupidity. "
20. Renan: Ernest R. ,. 1823-92, French his- torian and critic. Author of the 8-vol. His- toire des origines chn'stianisme, of which the shocking Vie de Jesus was the first volume.
21. one dollar's worth . . . : The sentence starts with Peabody and ends with this illus- tration of inscrutable stupidity [98/68S].
22. Talleyrand . . . : According to Mme. Remusat, Talleyrand spent some hours re- working the hastily penned details Napoleon had written regarding the peace he had agreed to with the emperors Alexander (Rus- sia) and Francis (Austria) after the battle of Austerlitz in IS05 [Memoirs, 304-305].
23. "90 francs . . . note": "Money become still more scarce; in fact, it attained such a price that . . . 1 had to pay ninety francs merely for obtaining gold for a thousand-franc bank-note" [Memoirs, 321].
24. Cambaceres: Jean Jacques Regis de C. , 1753-1824, French revolutionary who rose to be archchancellor of the empire. He helped formulate the Napoleonic Code and the constitutional relationship ofitaly to the empire. He was made duke of Panna in 1808. Mme. de Remusat mentions rum sev- eral times as a vain and pompous man who returned flattery with favors [Memoirs, 321-322].
25. A constitution: "That portion of Italy [area of Genoa] was at once divided into new departments, and shortly afterwards [June 4, 1805] the new constitution was sent to the Italian Legislature and Prince Eugene was made Viceroy of the kingdom"
(Memoirs, 264].
26. Xmas . . . maximum: The peace treaty after Austerlitz seems to Pound the height of N's power: "M. de Talleyrand returned to the Court after signing the treaty, and once more peace seemed restored to Europe-at any rate, for a time. Peace was signed on Christmas Day, IS05" [Memoirs, 320].
. . .
improved the system of taxation" [Memoirs, 345].
28. Mt Cenis, Simplon: "Roads over Mont Cenis and the Simplon were actively pushed on; bridges were built, roadways repaired"
[ibid. ] .
29. Mme. Remusat: "Madame de Remusat writes on the 12th of December, IS06: 'We ought to be very cautious in our correspon- dence. . . . Peace! People scarce hope for it here.
Depression and discontent prevail. . . . This feeling is) no doubt, unjust; for, after all, there are cases in which even men of the strongest mind are carried along by circum- stances farther than they wish, and I can not believe that a great mind will seek for glory in war' " [Memoirs,455n. ].
30. Jena: "In the name of the Emperor. The University of Jena, its professors . . . its pos- sessions . . . are placed under the special pro- tection of the commanders of the French and allied troops. The course of study will be continued" [Memoirs, 481].
31. "Liberty . . . : Mme. R. says Napoleon used to say: "Liberty is needed by a small and privileged class, who are gifted by nature with abilities greater than those of the bulk of mankind. It can therefore be restricted with impunity" [Memoirs, 506].
32. Hottenguer: [S9: lSI].
33. Neuflize: The Haute Banque Parisienne was a group of private banks which had connections with the Rothschild brothers. Among these groups were Mallet Freres and Henrotte & Muller, all with powerful re- sources. A subgroup called the Haute Banque Protestante was formed after 1800. This group included "Hottinguer & Cie . . . together with de Neuf/ize & Cie" [Emden, Powers, 394-395]. This group of private bankers undid the work of such people as Marbois and Mollien [cf. 27 above] and be- came their Nessus,
34. Nessus: [S7:5S]. The shirt-of-fire caused by the blood of Nessus became so painful to Hercules that he caused his mortal
27. Marbois
became possible for him [Napoleon] to di- vert his attention . . . from foreign affairs, he devoted it to. . . finances. . . . M. Barbe- Marbois, Minister of the Treasury, having incurred his displeasure, was replaced by M. Mollien, who was a skillful financier. The Emperor was ably seconded by his Minister of Finance, Gaudin, whose perfect integrity and sound knowledge sustained credit and
Gaudin: "As soon as
it
had
? ? 656
body to be consumed by the flames of a funeral pyre.
35. Remusat: Source of remark unknown.
36. Gaudin: "Indirect taxes were ventured on to a greater extent than before; luxury, which would render these taxes more pro~ ductive, was encouraged; and the heavy COll' tributions which the Emperor had every? where levied upon his conquered enemies afforded him the means, without burdening his people, of keeping up the strength of his
army" [Memoirs, 345]. "M. Gaudin, the wise Minister of Finance, observed an order and regularity in the management of taxes and receipts which rendered him valuable to
the Emperor" [ibid. , 520].
37. KangHi: [98:111,112].
38. Mme d'Houdetot: No one could possess more-I will not say goodness, but more kindness than Mme. d'Houdetot. Goodness implies the choice of good as against evil; it perceives the evil and forgives it. Mme. d'Houdetot never perceived evil in any
one" [Memoirs, 681? 682].
39. Yeats: Musical figure on a scene men? tioned earlier and later [113/789; Pai, 1-1,53].
. . .
1933" [Pai, 3? 1, 107? 108; Na-khi, II, 418].
41. Bears . . . fields: "No hunting is per- mitted, and here roam many bears who live on the oaks, and often come to the fields of the villages and eat their broad beans and peas" [Na-khi, II, 418].
42. Elzeard Bouffier: A French farmer who during three years planted 100,000 trees in a wilderness, thereby creating a forest. Having lost his only son and his wife, he withdrew to a place he thought was dying for want of trees. So, "having no pressing business of his
101/725
own, he . . . resolved to remedy this state of affairs" [Jean Giono, Vogue, 15 March, 1954, p. 157; MB, Trace, 401].
43. Vergons: A small Alpine village between Castellane and Annot on the Isde River. The mountain-gorge atmosphere is a rhyme with Lion Mountain of the Na-khi [ef. 45 below].
44. Kuanon's eye: [90/606]. "On the top of this hill is a temple with a huge figure of Chenrezig with the thousand arms and eyes (Kuan? yin . . . of the Chinese). . . . The trail leads along . . . the edge of the larger basin up the pine and oak covered spur" [Na-khi, 11,412].
45. Sengper ga-mu: "One of the most con- spicuous landmarks which confront the lake on the north, is the southern face of Shih- tzu Shan (Lion Mountain; Seng-ge gao mu). . . . This mountain is mirrored in the lake, its broad face representing the lion's head. . . while its body extends to the north" [Na-khi, II, 418; several key plates
from Rock are reproduced in Pat, 3-1, 110-116].
46. To him we burn . . . : "Immediately back of the main building is a shrine dedi- cated to the mountain goddess Seng-ge ga- mu . . . an incense burner in front of the shrine belches forth white smoke in the morning and evening, when pine branches are burnt as offering to the mountain god- dess" [Na-khi, II, 426].
47. The hills . . . : "Junipers grow on all the lofty peaks of the district of Yen-yuan, giv- ing the latter a blue? green tint. The dragon- like rivers flow zigzag over its land" [Na-khi, II,444].
48. AchiIoos: The longest Greek river, which flows through a similar mountainous landscape. In Pound's translation of Trachi- niae (1954), Deianeira speaks of the wooer Akheloos as the river, rather than the river- god, which winds in serpentine fashion
[Peck, Agenda, 49].
49. one man . . . : "It [a mountain trail] passes over the lofty peaks, covered with
101/725-726
fragrant junipers, can safely be guarded by
one man" [Na-khi, II, 444].
50. Mt. Segur: [87: 10I] . The stronghold of
the Albigensians [23:28] had a similar nar- row pass which they held against Simon de Montfort [23:26] in his crusade against them.
51. TSO: [M6784], "rope made from bamboo-splints. " "The reason why so many places were called Tso (Bamboo rope) was because the aborigines used rope bridges to cross the large rivers" [Na-khi, 11,446].
52. land tax: "The territory pays an annual land-tax of 70 Shih . . . of buckwheat" [Na- khi, II, 454].
53. Tolosa: [80:186]. Rhyme with unadul- terated food theme [45:5; 74/428; 80/493].
54. Gubbio: A town in Umbria, central Italy.
55. L'iI Josephine: Prob. a local radio per? sonality.
56. Wilson (McN. ): R. McNair W. , one of Pound's favorite writers on money and bank- ing; author of Promise To Pay: An Inquiry into the Principles and Practice of the Latter-Day Magic Called Sometime High Fi- nance, London, 1934.
57. KALaN KAGATHON: H, "Noble and brave. " Homeric epithet.
58. Marengo: A village in NW Italy which was the scene of a famous battle between Napoleon and the Austrians. Mme. R. says: "He [Napoleon] held a grand review on the battlefield of Marengo, and distributed crosses on that occasion. " [Memoirs, 260]. They were prob. given to "noble and brave" soldiers.
59. This aura . . . crimson: Formulaic lines from alchemy found in many places: "Fire is the soul of the Great All. . . . Light? gold . . . fire in its concrete state . . . Flamma! Yes, fire that is all. The diamond exists already in the charcoal, gold in fire" [Read, Alchemy p. 90].
657
40. Tsung-Kuan
Rock [110:54] knew personally and remem- bered fondly.
