Burt,
It's clear that the green casque is readily associated with other elements
from the green (i.e. natural) world in the Pisan Cantos, such as an insect's
beautiful case, not made by man.  I was fairly well convinced that Dan's
myrmidon theory was overshooting the target, but now, I'm not so sure.
There seem to be _two_ green worlds, and two planes of meaning here ---
again,  the Elizabethan masque's meta-commentary upon the dramatic action,
and the magpie's duality, may shed some light on how the ambiguities of this
passage operate.
 Tim Romano


----- Original Message -----
From: "Burt Hatlen" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, August 23, 2000 11:56 AM
Subject: green casques


> I haven't been following the "green casques" thread very closely, and
> I've erased a good many messages, so someone may have made this point
> already.  But the association of the green casques with army helmets
> seems to me totally wrong. I have always associated the "Paquin"
> passage with the final lines of Canto LXXX, five pages previous:
>
> as the young lizard extends his leopard spots
>     along the grass-blade seeking the green midge half an ant-size
> [then five lines about London]
> and if her green elegance
>     remains on this side of my rain ditch
>     puss lizard will lunch on some other T-bone
>
> sunset grand couturier.
>
> We have here an association of "green" with "elegance," and Paquin was
> in fact a couturier. A midge is a small fly, and its closed wings might
> look like a "casque."  But I also think that Carroll Terrell is correct
> in association the green casque with the cocoon from which the wasp
> emerges, in Canto LXXXIII.
>
> Burt Hatlen
>
>