In Selected Prose (Faber), Pound quotes Machiavelli several times, applying the dictum 'gli uomini vivono in poche' figuratively as follows: "The life of the race is concentrated in a few individuals." -- "I Gather the Limbs of Osiris" "And the will becomes concentrated in the few." -- "A Visiting Card" "The books that change our understanding are few." -- ibid. Race. Will. Books. A regular vortex, this. Tim Romano www.aimsdata.com/tim ----- Original Message ----- From: "Stoner James" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Thursday, July 05, 2001 12:28 PM Subject: Re: help | I wish to weigh in on the query. I would render it as | | The men live in few or men live in the few. Considering his political | and social views it is likely that he is refering to the few people | whose ideas matter (which for the bittered Pound was him and his | imagist buddies - and not the academics nor the Capitalists). This | would be consistent with his rendering in the Cantos as well as how it | is generally rendered in _The Prince_ (although no such exact wording | exists), which is replete with Machiavelli's discussion of the few | people whose ideas matter to the Prince. The allusion to Machiavelli | may exist, however, I am not certain of any scholarship investigating | such an allusion. I am also not certain of the 1922 timing of the | letter and it's later relationshop to the much later written Cantos. | Maybe, Wayne could clafify his statements regarding the _Prince_ and | the Cantos? | | Thanks, Stoner | | | | I'm surprised at the lack of response on this query, forcing me out of | > my lethargy. The source is Machiavelli's <The Prince> and if memory | > serves, and it may not, Pound renders it in the Cantos and elsewhere | as | > "men live in the few." I.e., the few artists and thinkers whose ideas | > matter. | > | > Wayne | > | > jason sweitzer wrote: | > | > > The nearest i get to is: | > > men: only a few live | > > or | > > only a few men live | > > | > > Source unknown. | > > | > > --- Stephen Wilson <[log in to unmask]> wrote: | > > > In Pound's Jan. 1922 Paris Letter (Dial Feb. 1922) | > > > the following Italian phrase occurs: Gli uomini | > > > vivono in pochi. Does anyone have a source for this? | > > > Can anyone suggest a good English translation? | > > > | > > > Stephen Wilson. | > > | | | | __________________________________________________ | Do You Yahoo!? | Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail | http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ | |