Well, Mr. Stoner, I'm not sure why you bother.  After "not stud[ying] a
lot of Pound", you've "sw[u]m every inch of the ocean bottom."  Do you
mean that you haven't actually read the Cantos?  Or do you mean that,
although you've read the Cantos, through which you've covered every inch
of the ocean bottom, you haven't studied Pound much?  Well, your imagery
definitely confuses me.

But, what I mean, Mr. Stoner, is: why do you bother if you don't like
Pound?  He (i.e., Pound) has asked, "Gentlemen, the question is, 'Are
these verses worth reading'".  You've answered, for yourself, "no".  So
why bother?

I, on the other hand, can remember the first time I picked up the Cantos
and read, "And then went down to the ship....".  Possibly I was
fortunate to have read the Odyssey (in translation) and not to have
previously heard of Pound.  My appreciation for Pound starts right there
at Canto I.  And from there, it multiplies, and grows, e lo soleil
plovil.  By this inclusion, I don't mean to exclude his other poetry.

If you don't like it, why bother?

Me no academic.  Me computer nerd.  Me wear cowboy hat. Me don't own
car.  Me politically (very) left wing.  Me work for bank.

But I have loved Ezra Pound from the moment I encountered him.  If
you're looking for something other than what Ol' Ez offers, you would
probably be spending your time more wisely to look elsewhere.  Maybe
you'd be happier with "Plato, Emerson, and folks like them"...
interesting that you should note two philosophers and not two poets
(unless you are regarding Plato's prose as poetry and Emerson's poetry
as greater than Pounds?) as "richer" than Pound.

Regarding this list:  It seems to me pretty much of a waste of time.
Haven't learned much, if anything, about Pound's poetry here.  Lot of
talk about his politics and elitism and such topics.  For the most part,
it isn't even on a par with one of the typical television talk shows
that I've seen once or twice but don't watch.  Yet I subscribe to this
list because it's the only place I ever encounter Pound as a subject at
all, outside of books.  And, well, I'll put up with a lot of B.S. just
to hear the subject raised.

On the other hand, it was once important to me that others appreciate
Pound.  Then I discovered that most people don't appreciate any poetry
at all, unless you mean to include pop lyrics.  So, what difference does
it make to me whether you like Pound's poetry or not?  If you read any
"serious" poetry at all, you're my brother.  And my advice to you,
brother, is that if you don't like Pound, you shouldn't read him.

Hell, I still read Swinburne -- very rare taste these days.  Individuals
have been upset with me at times for reading Swinburne.  Somehow the
fact that I appreciate his weird music bothers some people.  But this
says more about them than it does about me or Swinburne.  They must feel
very insecure in their tastes to feel challenged by a poet that isn't
even in print anymore except in selections.  Do I detect an echo of this
in your relationship to people reading Pound?



-----Original Message-----
From: Stoner James [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Friday, December 27, 2002 7:54 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Roma locuta, causa finite.

I've recently wondered if the mark of a truly great writer is to leave a
huge sea of ambuguity, the depths of which are discoverable by each
diver
who plunges into the murky waters, but that there must be some actual
treasure that is there in the deep to be discovered.  Plato, Emerson,
and
folks like them are rich, but I'm afraid Pound can't share their
company.

I must admit that when it comes to Pound, I wonder if is myth of the man
is more substantial than his actual writing--obscure, erudite, elitist,
psychotic, meglamaniacal.  I wonder where the beauty in his work lies. I
have not studied a lot of Pound but again I must admit, now, after
listening to this group, that only a few people even want to swim
through
the thick, electric eel infested waters that he created.  I feel like
I've
swam every inch of the ocean bottom, sucked mud into my lungs, and I'm
in
need of finding real treasure, not mere mud.  I'm pretty sure that I've
about had my fill of the salty mud and want to fill my glass with clear
spring water, and refresh my tongue with real writing.  I need something
to wash him down and maybe even a labotomy to remove what I do know from
my brain.  I'm not sure that you folks will agree, but I'm not just some
inpatient sophmore sitting in one of your classes listening to words fly
over my head and vaporize like midst exposed to the bright moring sun.

I'm certain you must agree.  Should we not just leave him to rot and
decay
at the bottom of the ocean like the iron skeleton of some worthless ship
that sank 100 years ago.  We have surveyed the hull and found nothing,
really, nothing, except maybe a myth of our own making.  The man has
been
given far too much credit, I think.  I do, however, have an open mind,
open to pusuasion, finding none so far from any of you folks.

stoner

__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now.
http://mailplus.yahoo.com