Erigena: One of the most
important
light?
A-Companion-to-the-Cantos-of-Ezra-Pound-II
certain
ambi-
. . .
the sentinel? Or did I not cover the sen- tinel ? "
10. "Gran dispitto": I, "Great contempt" [In! X, 36]. Said by Farinata degli Uberti [91: 75] . Here indicating the tone of voice of the questions in Italian.
11. "A chi stima . . . ronore assai": I, "to rum who esteem . . . honor enough. " From postscript by Guicciardini to Pound's Confu- cius: "Nothing is impossible to him who holds honor in sufficient esteem" [CON,
188].
12. Guicciardini: Francesco G. , 1483- 1540, the scion of one of the greatest Flor- entine families. Although trained in the law, he started his lifelong work as a writer with The History o f Florence and The History o f Italy. But he was a man of action too: he was ambassador to Spain, governor of Mod- ena and Reggio, president of Romagna, lieu- tenant general of the papal forces in the League of Cognac, and governor of Bologna. A contemporary of Machiavelli, he was a supporter of the Medici power in Florence and instrumental in selecting Cosino de' Medici to succeed Alessandro after his assas- sination [5:33,43,45].
9. Signori
sentinella:
I, "Sirs,
did I cover
34. Nymphalidae: butterflies.
A family
o f
handsome
35. basilarch. _. erynnis: Each of the names is a genus of the family of Nymphalidae. Since the natural object is the adequate sym- bol, Pound wants to convey the qualities of different souls aspiring to reach paradise.
36. il tremolar . . . : I, "the trembling of the sea" [Pur. I, 116-/17]. The end of a line that starts: "from afar [di lontans] I heard. " From the dawn scene marking the first sight
light near-
? 558
92/620-621
92/621-622
of light after the pilgrim's ascent from Hell [JW].
37. chh . . . ch'u: Onomatopoetic sounds of the sea.
38. "fui . . . refulgo": I, "I was called and here I glow" [Par. IX, 32]. Cunizza da Ro? mana [29: 14; 76: 16] is speaking in the third heaven of Venus.
39. Le Paradis . . . : F, "Paradise is not ficti- tious," meaning that it is real and around us always [Neault,Pai, 4? 1, 35].
40. Hilary: Hilary of Poiliers [95:72]. Pound lists "The church of St. Hilaire in Poitiers" first in a list of art works that manifest degrees of light in "black festering darkness" [SP,265].
41. improvisatore: I, "improviser,"
42. Omniformis: L, "every shape" [23:1].
43. Pontifex: Pontifex Maximus, the high priest of the Pontifical College in ancient Rome [89:79].
44. Margarethe: Queen Margherita of Savoy [86:5].
45. Uncle Carlo: Carlo De1croix [cf. 49 below].
46. Rimini bas? reliefs: [8:43; HK, Era, 253]. Sigismundo's "clean? up" of the pre? vailing art modes by his work at the Tempio seems implied.
47. Semele: Mother of Bacchus (Dionysus) by Jupiter. By the trickery' of Juno, she was led to exact a promise from Jupiter that he would come to her in all his splendor. Since he swore by the river Styx, he had to so appear. The immortal radiance reduced her to ashes.
SO. un ministro: I, "a minister. "
51. les soc / anonymes: F, "anonymous so- cieties": massive impersonal corporations.
52. Bottai: Guiseppi B. , secretary of the ministry of corporations, 1927? 1932. He helped draft the Carta del Lavoro that de? fined working norms for the state. From 1936 to the collapse of the government, he was minister of education. He is cited here for his quick phone call to Turin to help Pound get the Vivaldi manuscripts [JW] .
53. instanter: L, "sudden. "
54. Torino: Count di T.
55. Vivaldi: Antonio V. , ca. 1675? 1743. Pound and Olga Rudge helped to popularize his concerti and, even more, assisted in re- trieving drafts of his compositions from Dresden before their destruction by WWII bombs.
56. ministri: I, "ministers. "
57. Marinetti: Filippo Tommaso M. , 1876? 1944. He fought in Russia during WWI and was a political activist as well as a primary figure in the futurist movement. Pound men- tioned him among the avant-garde in art
during the 30s [SP, 396, 456, 459].
58. Hans Sachs: German meistersinger (1494? 1576) and leading poet of the Nurem? berg schoo! . Although a shoemaker by trade, he educated himself, became master of his guild, and wrote 6000 songs, fables, and tales as well as 208 plays.
59. Schnitz Brandt: Hermann Carl George B. , a professor at Hamilton nick- named "Schnitz" ("Slice") by students.
64. Y ang tse: The Y ellow River, which to flood seasonally [53: 116].
used
48. "10 porto blindness. "
. . .
la
cecita:
1,
"I
carry
the
49. Delcroix: Carlo D. [88:46]. He was blinded in the Fascist struggle. His work for war veterans was made difficult by the "Two evils": usury and theft. His will to act is indicated by ! tis willingness to struggle with the bureaucracy [GK, 229, 249].
60. "war ein . . . dazu": G, "was a maker and a poet as wei! . " Pound liked poets who were good and careful craftsmen.
61. the armada: Return to Drake and sea battles [91:21].
62. 300 years: Reina [91:4,5].
63. Nein! . . . Wolken: G, "No! but in clouds. "
Boris de Rachewiltz [B de R], Massime degli antichi Egiziani, Milan, 1954, and II Libra Egizio degli Inferi, Rome, 1959; Ber? nart de Ventadorn, "Tant a1 rno cor pIe de joya," no. 44, Appel, 1915,260? 263: Dante,Inf. XX, XXVII, Par. III, V, Pur. XXVII, Convivio [Conv. ]; EP, LUstra, 196.
Background
EP, SP, 452-457, 28, 25, 47? 52; SR, 80. Boris de Rachewlltz [B de R], "Pagan and Magic Elements," in EH, Approaches, 174? 197; E. A. Wallis Budge, A History of Egypt, Vo! . III, Netherlands, 1968; Eustace Mullins, This Difficult Individual, Ezra Pound [EM, Difficult]; M de R. Discretions, 151; Allan Wade, ed. , The Letters of W. B. Yeats, New York, 1955.
Exegeses
JW, Pai, 2? 2, 183? 187; J. Neault, Pai, 4? 1,7,28; M de R, Discre?
tions, 113? 114; NS, Reading, 96? 102; HK, Era, 364; BK, Pai, 5? 1, 214; EH, Pai, 2? 1, 143; CE, Ideas 157? 158; CB? R, ZBC, 32, 140? 143; HK, Era, 338? 339, 530? 531; MB, Trace, 310? 324; Timothy Materer, "Ez to WynDAMN," in Helix, 13/14 (this double issue is devoted to Ezra Pound).
shoe-
65. 25 hundred: Figure seems to derive from Anters time [93:4]. And the "2 thou? sand years" from the time of Christ.
66. Apollonius: [91 :9; 94:42].
67.
Erigena: One of the most important light? p! tilosophers [74:90], as are the others listed here.
68.
69. Richardus: [85:52].
Avicenna:
[93 :48].
70. Hilary: [Cf. 40 above].
71. brown . . . sweat: Reference Raphaelite painting, with its blurred lines and shadows.
72. cannon . . . opium: The British purpor- tedly trained the Chinese to use opium and developed a lucrative trade in it during their 19th? century occupation of China.
73. Portagoose: Portuguese [89:238].
74. Ari: Aristotle [87:26]. The "common custom" is the formation of monopolies.
CANTO XCIII
Sources
to post-
559
? 560
93/623
93/623-625
561
1. "A man's . . . ": Trans. of the Egyptian hieroglyphics provided to Pound by his son? in-law, Boris de Rachewiltz. Pound was much elated to discover such secular wisdom recorded so early in history [B de R, in EH, Approaches, 178] .
2. Kati: King Khati, an Egyptian ruler Pound encountered in a book by his son- in? law [ibid. ].
3. "pauis angelicus": L, "angel-bread. " From Dante's Convivio 1. 1, 50? 102 [cf. 60 below1,where the writer promises to distrib- ute the never-diminishing bread of angels among his readers, in keeping with the NeD- platonic tenet that the good always increases [JW]. Also, common phrase for the com? munion wafer.
4. Antef: A minister "in the reign of Sesas- tris I (12th dynasty, ca. 1970? 1936 B. C. )," who purportedly said, "Give bread to the hungry, beer to the thirsty" [cf. RO, Pai, 6? 2,181].
5. two 1/2s of a seal: [77:56]. The first half is the "panis angelicus" and the second is Anters compassion for the destitute.
6. his own mind: A musical figure evoking Tiresias [80:30] and Odysseus, whose mind was such that the gods said "he must be one of us" [L, 270].
7. K&6f. wv . . . : H, "daughter of Cadmus" [91 :88].
8. Apollonius: [94:42].
9. arcivescovo: I, "archbishop. " Archbishop Pisani [97:200]. Pound and his daughter Mary visited him at Rome before WWIl. The next several lines concern his kind act of giving the child a roll of chocolates [M de R, Discretions, 113? 114].
10. "La Tour": F, "The ToweL" A picture of a painting by Georges de la Tour on a box of Gianduja chocolates the archbishop gave to Mary. The box and the painting together suggest a cornucopia.
11. Augustine: St. Augustine [16:6]. It seems that the two lines are a detail from a story the archbishop told as the three walked from St. Peter's toward their car? rozza.
12. The Pope: Augustine's conversion took place in 387. In 391 he moved to Hippo and in 395 became auxiliary bishop there. Since his most significant works, The Confessions (ca. 400) and The City of God (later than 412), were done after 395, the pope with whom he had such a dialog would most likely be St. Siricius (384? 399), Anastasius (399A01), or Innocent I (40IA17).
13. St Peter's: M de R wrote: "The [jrst visit was to St. Peter's. "
14. carrozza: I, "carraige. " Wrote Mary: "It was a short walk to the carrozza. " After- wards, she received the gift.
15. internal horrors: Prob. referring to churches with interior design and art of the ersatz variety.
16. Santa Sabina: I, "Saint Sabine," a church in Rome: one of the best examples of good architecture.
17. San Domenico: I, "Saint Dominic" [44:9]. A church Pound was fond of at Siena. Wrote M de R: "His favorite walk was to Fontebranda and then up to San Dome?
nico" [ibid. , 133].
18. Hyksos: Asiatic invaders of Egypt around 2100 B. C. The Egyptologist Budge wrote: "The Hyksos destroyed much, but what they left undestroyed the native Egyp? tians neglected; through these causes the condition of the country was lamentable"
[Egypt, III, 190; Neault, Pai, 4? 1, 28]. A later ruler, Amasis I, started to restore the temples of the gods and to this end "had the quarries of Tura reopened, in order that 'good stone' might be hewed therein for the buildings" [ibid. ].
19. butchers . . . : [87/573].
22. "The waves . . .
tion of a Japanese haiku which he used in 1937 to illustrate the third element that is always suggested by two present. The haiku concerned a war hero. Here the waves and moonlight evoke a "you" that refers to the "Ondine" [SP,453].
23. Old GrinelI: Prob. a Pound acquaintance of his London years, when he was first inter- ested in Japanese verse forms.
24. Olibanum: [2:20]. Frankincense, sacred to Dionysus [cf. 35 below].
25. "non fosse cive": I, "were not a citizen" [Par. VIII, 116]. In this scene Charles Martel asks Dante: "But tell me-would it be worse for man on earth, if he wasn't a citizen? " Dante, with civility, must say that it would
[JW].
26. Avon: A river in England. People from its banks would not agree on matters of civility.
27. "dragons' spleens": ChatiHon reports to King Philip concerning Englishmen on the warpath: "Rash, inconsiderate, fiery volun- taries, / With ladies' faces and fierce dragons' spleens, / Have sold their fortunes at their native homes, / . . . To make a hazard of new fotuneshere" [King John, II, 1,71? 75].
28. "a pelting farm": John of Gaunt says: "This land of such dear souls, this dear dear land / -Is now leas'd out-I die pronouncing
Glossary
20. Classe: I, from the name of an Italian church, "Saint Appollinaire in CIasse" ("St. Apollinaire by the fleet" or "at the har? bor"), located just outside Ravenna. It is a marvel of Romanesque beauty [9:28]. Its incredible wall-long-length mosaics were prob. source of Yeats's "0 sages, standing in God's holy fire I As in the gold mosaic of a wall. "
21. Ondine: [91:7].
in alchemical and chemical processes, as well as in the arts. A source of alum and related clays and bauxite meant wealth: here the solvency of the papacy seems to be in- dicated.
30. Tolfa: Prob. Le ToIfe, a hilly district north of Siena.
31. Medici: [8:38; 21:35].
32. "Te voila . . . ": F, "There you are, my Bourienne. "
33. Bourienne: [18:11]. Louis Bourrienne, private secretary to Napoleon the Great.
34. correni' attrattiva: I, "attractive cur- rent. " The magnetic attraction in alchemy and in sexuality are implied.
35. ureus . . . gold: [90:28]. Related to the Isis? Kuanon and the natrix [90:30]. Pound wrote to his son-in-law about the sacred snakes: "The turquoise, that is to say white belly turquoise shading, long diamond pat? tern, and sapphire back is a natrix, not a rock viper. . . . Some brute had needlessly slaughtered the one in memory, somewhere cross country from Caserta, or thereabout and left it on a loose stone division wall, by foot path or mulatiera. . . . Certainly servant of Iside. I suppose olibanum standard for usage, plus what else as salutation" [MB, Trace, 313].
36. Peitz . . . bionda: P, "I suffer worse the pain of love / Than did the lover Tristan / Who suffered many a grief/ Because of Isolde, the blonde" [lines 45-48 of Bernart de Ventadorn's "Tant ai mo cor pIe de joya" ("I have a heart so full of joy"), No. 44, Appel's 1915 edition, pp.
