I make a pact with you, Walt Whitman -
I have detested you long enough.
I come to you as a grown child
Who has had a pig-headed father;
...
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To understand this short poem, it is first necessary to explore Pound's negative feelings towards Walt Whitman. In 1909, Pound wrote an essay titled " What I Feel About Walt Whitman, " in which he denounced the older poet's " crudity" and " barbaric yawp."
Masterful poem has been worked and re-worked to seem spontaneous. Beautifully shaped lines advance a generous argument, stroke by stroke.
Nice poem. Enjoyed. 'Now is a time for carving. We have one sap and one root - Let there be commerce between us. '..is beautiful.
What I like about Pound is in this poem and his ballad The Goodly Fere. It is the mark of self-awareness—if not more—to admit we’re wrong, yes? This poem is so direct as to appear spontaneous. Perhaps some may think artless. But it has two excellent metaphors, excellent in part because they’re so accessible, so relatable. GK
And by this arrangement they are now set forth as the objects of love.......outstanding concept.........thanks for sharing
Now is a time for carving. Good delivery. Well done! Sylva.
@ Stanton Hager - I think no one, as poetry is all but dead in this new age of confusion. The crap that those post-modernists can not be called poetry by sane people.
I wonder who will be the next GREAT poet in English to make a 'pact' with Pound...
Well expressed thoughts and feelings.............