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Sender: Ezra Pound discussion list of the University of Maine <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Tue, 6 Jan 1998 20:40:40 -0600
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From: "John K. Taber" <[log in to unmask]>
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In Canto I Odysseus I guess sacrifices a sterile bull. At first
sight I asked why anybody would bother to call a steer a "sterile
bull". But no, I don't think Pound meant steer, I think he meant
what he said.
 
When you think about it, there must be such creatures. They're not
steers so they compete for the heifers, yet wouldn't benefit
cattlemen.
 
So, is the sacrifice Gresham's law at work, where we tend to pass
on the inferior and keep the better for ourselves. "Here, God,
you'll just love this bull, he's very rare."
 
Were sterile bulls actually sacrificed in ancient Greek days, or is
this one of Pound's insights?

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