Jacob,

On second thought, your equation of Pound/scriptor and Pound/Centaur
raises a problem of self-contradiction.  The lone ant
who survives the ruins of Europe is a very humbled Pound whose
vanity has already been pulled down by history.  I don't see how
Pound can now, as late as Canto 81, be mocking *himself* for
a vanity that's already been kicked out of him.  I think that
here he's applying to others (e.g., the army) the lesson about
vanity he's learned himself.  If the "plot"-premise of the Pisans
is that of a humbled Pound trying to survive, then is there any need
for Pound to remind himself later to be humble?

==Dan

At 11:24 AM 8/15/00 -0700, you wrote:
>What does the list think of this reading of the line, "The ant's a centaur
>in his dragon world: the ant is "ego scriptor," the ant fleeing the
>anthill of Europe in an earlier Canto. He thinks he is the wise centaur in
>his world of fantasy. Ironic, self-deprecating, followed by "Pull down thy
>vanity," which is NOT  addressed to the U.S. Army.
>
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