Ezra Pound’s The Cantos: A Modern Epic

Posted on Apr 29, 2024 in English

Overview

The Cantos is a series of 117 poems, or cantos, that form one long, unfinished poem by American poet Ezra Pound. Considered one of the most significant works of modernist poetry in the 20th century, The Cantos is Pound’s masterpiece.

The poem traces the rise and fall of Eastern and Western empires, exploring themes of greed, materialism, and corruption. Pound critiques the state of America after the ‘heroic time’ of Thomas Jefferson and reflects on his own suffering in the later cantos.

Modern Aspects

The Cantos is a modern epic poem characterized by:

  • Collage-like Structure: Pound uses quotations and allusions to other poets, creating a complex tapestry of voices and perspectives.
  • Juxtaposition: The poem juxtaposes different periods, systems, and disciplines, including capitalism, history, politics, economics, art, and poetry.
  • Superposition: Pound layers images, characters, historical events, myths, and references to create a multi-dimensional experience.

Structure

Pound described the structure of The Cantos as follows:

  1. A ‘live man’ descends into the world of the dead.
  2. The ‘repeat in history.’
  3. The ‘magic moment’ of metamorphosis, a breakthrough from the everyday into the ‘divine or permanent world’ of gods and heroes.

This structure is evident in Canto I, which retells the nekuia episode from Homer’s Odyssey, where Odysseus journeys to the underworld. The title ‘Cantos’ also alludes to Dante’s Divine Comedy, another epic poem about a journey through hell, purgatory, and heaven.

Unlike Dante’s work, The Cantos do not follow a strict form or meter. Repetition, particularly of the word ‘And,’ serves as a unifying device, connecting the cantos and emphasizing the ongoing nature of the epic.

Canto I

Written in 1915, Canto I begins in medias res, as if Odysseus is already telling his story. It ends with an invitation to continue reading.

Pound based Canto I on a Latin translation of Homer’s Odyssey by Andreas Divus. He focuses on the nekuia episode, where Odysseus seeks guidance from the dead prophet Tiresias. This introduces a major theme: excavating the past to understand the present and future.

The canto concludes with fragments from the Second Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite, emphasizing the idea that history can teach us valuable lessons.

Analysis of Canto I

Canto I is rich in symbolism and allusions:

  • The Kimmerian lands: A reference to a mythical people living in perpetual darkness, symbolizing the unknown and the underworld.
  • Ithaca: Odysseus’s home island, representing his ultimate goal and the desire for return.
  • Tiresias: The blind prophet who guides Odysseus, symbolizing wisdom and foresight.
  • Erebus: The personification of darkness and the underworld, representing the realm of the dead.
  • Elpenor: A deceased member of Odysseus’s crew, highlighting the consequences of past actions.

The canto ends with an invitation to continue reading, suggesting that the journey of exploration and discovery is just beginning.

Canto VIII

Canto VIII begins with a reference to T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land, another modernist masterpiece. It then describes a battle between Truth and Calliope, the muse of epic poetry.

The canto tells the story of Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, a 15th-century Italian lord who, like Odysseus, embodies the archetype of the hero. Pound portrays Malatesta as a skilled warrior and leader who perseveres through challenges.

Repetition, particularly of the word ‘And,’ continues to play a significant role in Canto VIII, urging the reader to follow Malatesta’s story further.