In Exitum Cuiusdam
On A Certain One's Departure
In Exitum Cuiusdam - meaning Summary
Friendship Eroded by Fame
Pound's short poem confronts the cliché of "time's bitter flood" to argue that social loss is not merely fate but change tied to fame and choice. The speaker disputes vague appeals to time and insists on knowing who has actually fallen away. He contrasts an assumed, sentimental explanation with his own clear-eyed inventory of friendships, attributing distancing to personal shifts in status and priorities rather than impersonal destiny.
Read Complete Analyses‘Time's bitter flood'! Oh, that's all very well, But where's the old friend hasn't fallen off, Or slacked his hand-grip when you first gripped fame? I know your circle and can fairly tell What you have kept and what you’ve left behind: I know my circle and know very well How many faces I'd have out of mind.
Feel free to be first to leave comment.