Ezra Pound

Canto 49

Canto 49 - meaning Summary

Landscape, Labor, and Empire

Canto 49 moves between quiet landscape vignettes—lakes, reeds, boats, moonlight, snow, geese—and human activity like fishing, canal-building and daily labor. These serene images are punctured by abrupt moral and political remarks about wealth, debt and imperial power, invoking Geryon and a canal built for pleasure. The poem closes with enigmatic lines on stillness and dominion, linking natural rhythms of work and rest to broader questions of authority.

Read Complete Analyses

For the seven lakes, and by no man these verses: Rain; empty river; a voyage, Fire from frozen cloud, heavy rain in the twilight Under the cabin roof was one lantern. The reeds are heavy; bent; and the bamboos speak as if weeping. Autumn moon; hills rise about lakes against sunset Evening is like a curtain of cloud, a blurr above ripples; and through it sharp long spikes of the cinnamon, a cold tune amid reeds. Behind hill the monk's bell borne on the wind. Sail passed here in April; may return in October Boat fades in silver; slowly; Sun blaze alone on the river. Where wine flag catches the sunset Sparse chimneys smoke in the cross light Comes then snow scur on the river And a world is covered with jade Small boat floats like a lanthorn, The flowing water closts as with cold. And at San Yin they are a people of leisure. Wild geese swoop to the sand-bar, Clouds gather about the hole of the window Broad water; geese line out with the autumn Rooks clatter over the fishermen's lanthorns, A light moves on the north sky line; where the young boys prod stones for shrimp. In seventeen hundred came Tsing to these hill lakes. A light moves on the South sky line. State by creating riches shd. thereby get into debt? Thsi is infamy; this is Geryon. This canal goes still to TenShi Though the old king built it for pleasure K E I M E N R A N K E I K I U M A N M A N K E I JITSU GETSU K O K W A T A N FUKU T A N K A I Sun up; work sundown; to rest dig well and drink of the water dig field; eat of the grain Imperial power is? and to us what is it? The fourth; the dimension of stillness. And the power over wild beasts.

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