Jacob,

I'd have to reread the entire Pisans in order to be more certain
about that line.  Do we have a case here of two opposite but
equally reasonable interpretations?  I wish I could be persuaded
by your point that "myrmidon" is always thought of in the plural,
but I don't see why synecdoche can't operate here.  I have an
uncle who lives in synecdoche.

==Dan

At 08:50 PM 8/17/00 -0700, you wrote:
>Dear Dan Pearlman:
>        As an unregenerate admirer of the Barb of Time, I want to thank
>you for your replies to my ant-and-centaur suggestion. I find,by the
>way,that I seemed to be identifying Pound with the centaur -- bad
>writing. No, Pound is the ant, who self-deceivingly thinks he is the wise
>(or powerful) centaur.
>        You connection with the myrmidons seems to me if I may say so,
>fanciful. For one thing, one does not think of a single myrmidon -- they
>come to me as a horde.
>        As for your later posting about the humility coming too late:I
>don't feel there is any strong linear progression of feelings in the Pisan
>Cantos that would prevent regressons -- though there is movement as the
>sections proceed.
>        And I want to thank you for repeating the earlier postings about
>the line. I see that my idea has been anticipated, at least partly.
>        So you are an adherent of the army theory.I have to admit I'm
>unwilling to give up the idea that Pull down thy vanity expresses remorse
>-- and the succeeding passage about Blunt is Pound sorting out his
>feelings about himself, a continuation.
>                                All the best,
>                                        Jacob
>
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