Bob,

The account of the Salassi (note spelling -- "a" rather than "e") is  
found in The Geography of Strabo, book IV chapter 6.

 From Strabo's account, their conflict with Rome stemmed primarily  
from economic causes -- disputes over gold mining and water rights --  
so this could be another reason that they might have attracted Pound's  
interest.

I trust you'll keep the Listserv updated on your findings; I'll look  
forward to seeing where your researches lead.

Regards,
David

On Jun 21, 2009, at 7:10 AM, [log in to unmask] wrote:

> Dear David Griffith,
>
> Thanks for your response to my query on the Pound Listserv. Please  
> forgive this tardy reply, but I've been away.
>
> Your suggestion is worth some thought. Pound knew the Italian Alpine  
> region fairly well due to the proximity of his long residence in  
> Rapallo and his daughter Mary being brought up in Gais. I have not  
> had time yet to track down info on the Selassi people. Could you  
> possibly inform me of a source to facilitate this?
>
> But beyond this specific, your suggestion opens up another view I  
> hadn't thought of. Pound wrote that the source of /La canzone de li  
> ucelli /[sic] was out of  "...god knows what 'hidden antiquity' ".  
> I'll mull over, once I search out a little more info on the region  
> (and the ancient people you mention), a possible connection between  
> the "Selassi" and  the birdsong might emerge.
>
> Thanks for the help, and any further you might offer . . .
>
> Cordially  -  Bob Hughes
>
> David Griffith wrote:
>> I have suspected that the reference was to the Salassi -- a people  
>> of the Italian Alpine region who were subjugated by Augustus.   
>> Perhaps, given the association of the music with bird songs, the  
>> reference is to the geographic region rather than the historic  
>> Salassi themselves?
>>
>> This is just a thought; I don't know of any documentation or  
>> references to support it.
>>
>> Hope this helps!
>> David Griffith
>>
>> On Jun 13, 2009, at 4:26 AM, [log in to unmask] wrote:
>>
>>> Greetings to members of the Listserv,
>>>
>>> Starting at the small handwritten notations just above the music in
>>> Canto LXXV one reads the phrase "(Sidelights from Selassi;".While  
>>> it is
>>> tempting to associate a meaning with Haile Selassi(e), Emperor of
>>> Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974, an interpretation in that direction  
>>> seems
>>> awfully broad for a Canto that is so full of particulars. Also,  
>>> the name
>>> is followed by a semicolon which leads into details concerning the
>>> music. The invasion of Ethiopia was late 1935 and the music had  
>>> already
>>> been performed on Pound's concert series in Rapallo. Ellen Keck  
>>> Stauder
>>> gives a well reasoned analysis of the hand on p.272 of her excellent
>>> article on Canto 75 in the Bacigalupo/Pratt _Ezra Pound, Language  
>>> and
>>> Persona_. Can anyone account for the spelling of 'ucelli' with  
>>> only one
>>> 'c' or whose hand this is? If Munch, he would have known the Canto's
>>> /manuscript/ information from Pound's pre-concert presentations,  
>>> both
>>> vocal and in print.
>>>
>>> Any interpretations concerning this Canto, and particularly the
>>> "Sidelights from Selassi;" would be very much appreciated.
>>>
>>> Robert Hughes
>>