Charles:

Maybe so.

However, you should read Joan Ferrante's essay in Mandelbaum's commentary on
Canto 24 before being absolute.

The concept of sinner's being tormented by punishments suggested by the sin
itself is one of the central themes of "Inferno".  The concept is not unique
to Canto 28 or even Canto 24.  This "punishment fitting the crime"
retribution is central to virtually all the  "Inferno" Cantos.  Canto 28 is
in no way unique for discussing divine retribution.  It simply is the
Dantean site of the words Pound happened to use.  Canto 24 happens to be the
place where Dante can be seen facing his own sins of intellectual theft
(borrowing?) and hypocrisy.

Fucci predicts at the end of Canto 24 Dante's fall from political power.
This could be seen as divine retribution for Dante's sin of Pride (see
purgatorio for a catalog of Dante's sins)  Having your nose rubbed in your
disgrace by as despicable a thief (for the medieval Christian) as Fucci
would have been real eye for an eye punishment.

According to Ferrante Canto 24 is directly concerned with theft.  Ferrante
says it is one of two so concerned and is not just concerned with material
theft but theft through deception and theft of intellectual property.
Significantly Ferrante says this means it is also concerned with theft
through illicit business practices of banks and other money changers.  Usury
raises its head.  In the Canto both Dante and Virgil are acknowledged guilty
of intellectual theft through their borrowing from prior poets.  A sin which
would fit Ezra Pound very well indeed.

Also see Ferrante for a discussion of Vanni Fucci's words and their
political implications for Dante.  Fucci was a black guelph who is taking
delight in predicting to Dante (pilgrim) the downfall of the proud Dante
(poet).  (divine retribution?)

You may not agree with Ferrante's discussion but it makes sense to me.  An
ideogram of Canto 24, Canto 28 and Pound's comments therefore is very
interesting to me.

Concerning Pound interpretation discussion which he footnotes with reference
to Canto 24; Sayers gives an interesting discussion of a fourfold
interpretation scheme for Dante's work in her note on Caiaphas at the end of
Canto 23 and also in her introduction to "Inferno".  Read Pound's fourfold
scheme and then Sayers.  Close but tantalizingly different.

Rick Seddon
McIntosh, NM