Title

TAKING LEAVE OF A FRIEND (1915)
Ezra Pound

Blue mountains to the north of the walls,

White river winding about them;
Here we must make separation

And go out through a thousand miles of dead grass.

Mind like a floating white cloud,
Sunset like the parting of old acquaintances
Who bow over their clasped hands at a distance.
Our horses neigh to each other

as we are departing.

By Rihaku (Li T'ai Po)

(Cathay 1915)

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Index of/fores/poesia ‘Taking leave of a friend’ Ezra Pound

(www.uv.es/fores/poesia/13b.ezra.html (20-3-06)

POETIC COMMENTARY

The poem that I’m going to analyze is ‘Taking leave of a friend’ by Ezra Pound (1885-1972). It belongs to Pound’s Chinese translations. This poem was originally written by Rihaku (Li T’ai Po) and it comes from ‘Cathay’ (1915) composed by three other poems: ‘Poem by the bridge at ten-shin’, ‘Lament of the frontier guard’ and ‘The River-Merchant’s Wife: A Letter’. Ezra was very interested in ‘how poems could be made up’ (www.english.uiuc). Between 1912 and 1915, he concentrated his attention in the ‘classical Chinese which he turned into the beautiful free-verse lyrics of Cathay (1915)’. (www.english.uiuc).

The translation of this poem coincides with the second year of the I World War. Ezra could have had the intention of interpreting the poem from the perspective of a man who has to be separated from his friends and his family to fight in the War. It is a poem which reflects a social problem of that moment. Lots of people could see their own experience reflected in this poem.

The title of the poem is related to the poet’s life because he was a nomad. He passed all his life travelling and saying goodbye to a lot of friends. Some of them were very special in his life and it would be difficult and melancholic the moment to say goodbye to each other. Maybe Ezra chose this poem to translate it because he found its emotional nature interesting.

The poem is composed of 2 stanzas. The first one has 4 lines and the second one has 5. The poet has used ‘free verse’ and it permits him to play with the ending of the lines without seeking the rhyme. The theme of this poem, as the title introduces, is concentrated on saying goodbye to a friend: the melancholy.

It occurs in the middle of nature where the mountains join with the sky and a ‘white river’ goes down through the mountains. The river symbolizes the friendship because it has a beginning and an end. In the middle of them there is the watercourse that is comparable with the moments they have lived during their friendship. Moreover, the river’s course flows quickly and when you loved someone as a friend, the time goes by so fast without taking you into account. On the other hand, the white of the river is a symbol of purity because they have had a very sincere friendship. This is a nice place to say goodbye to someone because a wonderful friendship should end in a magical atmosphere like that.

After the separation, they will carry on with their lives and wherever they are, it wouldn’t be a place like where they lived together. Rihaku has changed the mountains and the river by what Pound has translated as ‘dead grass’. If we think from the perspective of the War, the 4^th line of the poem means that the two friends should be separated to fight wherever they would have been destined. They will have to cross a horrible way. It is a melancholic situation and you can’t see the future as something positive. You want to cling to the idea that any time of your life will be like the time you have passed with your friend.

Two feelings are mixed. There are two metaphors in the poem related to the ‘parting’ of the friends. The poet compares it with ‘mind’ and ‘sunset’. On the one hand, you are like in the clouds and you don’t want to come to terms with the moment to say goodbye. The poet describes it as ‘floating white cloud’. The white colour reappears because it is a sad moment but not stormy. In that case it would be ‘floating grey cloud’. You have a lot of things to say to the other person but your mind goes blank in that moment. Nerves and sorrow makes you forget what you wanted to say.

On the other hand, he compares the separation with the ‘sunset’. When the sun rises, you know that a new day has come and there is nothing to do because it has to rise irremediably. ‘Sunset’ is just the moment when the day ends and night arrives. It is the same as the friendship of the poem. The end is taking place and they have to say goodbye to each other.

But the affective ties always will unite them. The horses that lead them to their new destination are ‘neigh’ which means that they are in a hurry to gallop. They can’t be tied for more time. Horses are a symbol of strength and freedom and of speed and power. It is related to the fact that life is very short and the poet needs to run and use his time properly. Moreover, they symbolize fidelity. The relationship between the poet and his friend is forever although they wouldn’t see each other any more.

The moment of saying goodbye to a friend is a very special moment which you want to immortalize in your mind forever. All kind of feelings come to the surface in that difficult and sad moment because you know it is possible that you never see her/him again.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

www.uv.es/fores/poesia ‘Taking leave of a friend’ Ezra Pound

(www.uv.es/fores/poesia/13b.ezra.html (20-3-06)

Lorenwebster. ‘Pound’s Chinese Translations’ Ezra Pound, Loren Webster (Friday 09th of May 2003 (www.lorenwebster.net/In_a_Dark_Time/2003/05/09/pounds-chinese-translations (20-3-06)

Henciclopedia ‘Autores’ Ezra Loomis Pound 1885-1972: un roto manojo de espejos, Sandra López Desivo (1999-2005)

(www.henciclopedia.org.uy/autores/Mazzucchelli/Pound (21-3-06)

Modern American Poetry ‘Pound's Life and Career’ by Clive Wilmer

From The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-century Poetry in English.

(http://www.english.uiuc.edu/Maps/poets/m_r/pound/bio.htm (21-3-06)

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