Sunday 30 August 2015

Memo to Self

What thou lovest well remains,
                                                   the rest is dross
What thou lov'st well shall not be reft from thee
What thou lov'st well is thy true heritage
Whose world, or mine or theirs
                                             or is it of none?
First came the seen, then thus the palpable
        Elysium, though it were in the halls of hell,
What thou lov'st well is thy true heritage
What thou lov'st well shall not be reft from thee


The ant's a centaur in his dragon world.
Pull down thy vanity , it is not man
Made courage, or made order, or made grace,
        Pull down thy vanity , I say pull down.
Learn of the green world what can be thy place
In scaled invention or true artistry,
Pull down thy vanity,
                                       Paquin pull down!
The green casque has outdone your elegance. 


" Master thyself, then others shall thee beare "
        Pull down thy vanity

Thou art a beaten dog beneath the hail,
A swollen magpie in a fitful sun,
Half  black  half  white
Nor knowst'ou wing from tail
Pull down thy vanity
                          How mean thy hates
Fostered in falsity
                          Pull down thy vanity,
Rathe to destroy, niggard in charity,
Pull down thy vanity,
                          I say pull down

 Ezra Pound from Canto LXXXI - Pisan Cantos (1948)


 Scholarly note: wing, tail; elbow, arse.

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