Fellow Poundians: In a fit of chronological affections a few nights ago I started reading the "collected shorter poems of ezra pound" (New Directions, '76, ed. Michael J. King) for the first time (me being a self-professed neophyte of Pound, and deciding to begin at the beginning) and was instantly somewhat disheartened by the opening lines of "Grace Before Song" (1st poem in A Lume Spento, pg 7): Lord God of heaven that with mercy dight Th' alternate prayer wheel of the night and light Eternal hath to thee . . . Not so much the fact that I wasn't entranced by the rest of the poem (which I was, re "rain drops in the sea surge" imagery) but I was more disheartened by the fact that I can't make out the syntax, let alone the MEANING of the three lines quoted above. "Dight" put me off at first, naturally, but I found it in my Webster's all right: "archaic: to dress, adorn". That much is okay. But what does the rest *mean*? Thanks in advance to all who boot me in this business. I'm not chafing in protest against the intentional archaism in Pound's earlier poems, I just want to know what it bloody MEANS. And mayhaps this will lead to a discussion of Pound's earlier poems, which would be interesting in itself, and a remedy to the silence on the list. Thanks again to all. Cheers, Michael Kicey _________________________________________________ "you love in spite of, not because of" -Lucas Klein _________________________________________________ Michael Kicey F&M #836 Franklin and Marshall College PO Box 3220 Lancaster PA 17604-3220 email: [log in to unmask] net: http://acad.fandm.edu/~M_Kicey/ phone: 717.399.6747 _________________________________________________