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=The River-Merchant's Wife: A Letter by Ezra Pound (1914)= Debra Samsa

While my hair was still cut straight across my forehead I played about the front gate, pulling flowers. You came on bamboo stilts, playing horse, You walked about my seat, playing with blue plums. And we went on living in the village of Chokan: Two small people, without dislike or suspicion.

At fourteen I married My Lord you. I never laughed, being bashful. Lowering my head, I looked at the wall. Called to, a thousand times, I never looked back.

At fifteen I stopped scowling, I desired my dust to be mingled with yours For ever and for ever and for ever. Why should I climb to look out?

At sixteen you departed, You went into far Ku-to-yen, by the river of swirling eddies, And you have been gone five months. The monekys make sorrowful sounds overhead.

You dragged your feet when you went out. By the gate now, the moss is grown, the different mosses, Too deep to clear them away!

The leaves fall early this autumn, in wind. The paired butterflies are already yellow with August Over the grass in the West garden; They hurt me. I grow older. If you are coming down through the narrows of the river Kiang, Please let me know beforehand, And I will come out to meet you As far as Cho-fu-Sa.

Way 1: First Impressions
My first impression of this poem is that it is written about a young woman whose husband went away and did not return. Reading the first stanza the setting is playful and happy, but as the poem progresses the young woman appears to be looking back at their time together with fond memories. As the poem progresses further she becomes almost fearful of never seeing him again. I think this was an arranged marriage, since they were so young. As children playing together they had no dislike for each other, but after being married a short while the woman eventually adjusts. I am unsure about the meaning of the phrase, "I desired my dust to be mingled with yours", I think it has something to do with the union of a man and a wife but am unsure.

The bamboo stilts, monkeys, and the reference to living in a village made me think they live in a tropical and warm environment. There are many references to the outdoors but I am unsure as to why. It could be that in a beautiful jungle there is a looming danger always present, much like life with all of its uncertainties.

There are six stanzas in the poem, some are short and some are long. I am not sure why, but there must be a reason. There is no rhyming pattern. I found this poem interesting to read, and am looking forward to examining it much more closely.

Way 2: Engaging with the Text
The first thing I noticed about this poem is the way the words roll off my tongue. The beginning starts with sound repetition known as alliteration. The words "still" and "straight" flow smoothly drawing me to the conclusion that these words are referring to a child. I felt the innocence of a child immediately and was drawn in by it. I heard and felt the letter "s" sound consistently throughout the poem, which at the beginning gave it gentle and soothing feel. Then came the repetition of the words "for ever and for ever and for ever" (13) and I could feel the mood change and become more serious. Later in the poem the letter "s" came at the end of the words like "monkeys" and "noise" (18), which made me feel leery, like there was looming danger present. I noticed how the words "monkeys" and "sounds" go together since monkeys are noisy! Again I there is repetition in line 20, "By the gate now, the moss is grown, the different mosses." The word "gate was used in the second line showing the spot where they played together as young children. The repetition of the word moss represents the amount of time that passed, which is significant to the meaning of the poem.

Way 3: A Point about Form and its Relationship to Content
This poem is written in free verse with 6 sets of stanza groupings full of images that help unfold how the woman is feeling. The periods help to complete each thought. In the book //A Practical Introduction to Literary Study// it states that the placement of lines and stanzas' the author decides on breaks. It is the readers' responsibility to take the structure of the poem into account when trying to interpret it.

Even though this poem had no rhyming scheme, the letter "s" flows freely from your tongue, especially in the first stanza at the beginning of a word or at the end. I believe the author uses the "s" sound to create a relaxed feeling and to portray a sense of innocence. The first line uses the words still, straight, and across to reflect the young child's haircut. It is interesting that the second stanza does not use **//any//** words that begin or end with the letter "s", which is done to capture a new segment of the child's life as she emerges a 14-year-old bride. As the mood and dynamics of the poem change the letter "s" emerges once again, and remains throughout the poem.

Way 3: Another Point about Form and its Relationship to Content
The first stanza is smooth with long sentences showing the carefree life of "two small people". It is also important to note the repetition of the word "playing" in the first stanza, which is used three times to reiterate the carefree life of a child. The second stanza sets itself apart by using short and abrupt sentences showing the abruptness of the marriage. She is shy and unsure how to act. The third stanza returns to a pattern of longer sentences leaving a more carefree feeling as the young girl adjusts to married life. In the fourth stanza her young husband goes away and has not returned. The fifth stanza begins with panic. There are only three lines the first being abrupt. The last line ends with an explanation mark to let the reader know the young wife is beginning to panic. The repetition of the word "gate" is used here to signify that she came back to a place of fond memories where she played with her husband as a young child, but can no longer see visions of flowers and blue plums. She is now surrounded in mosses that have grown along the gate. The last stanza uses imagery as the leaves fall from the tree, and paired butterflies yellow in color. The sentences are the longest in the last stanza signifying how much time has gone by, and how lonely she feels.

Each of these stanza's hold their own meaning revealing many outdoor images. The woman's true feeling evolve as the poem progresses causing the reader to engage with her as the poem ends with a sense grief and loss. The sentence structure and stanzas have a clear-cut meaning to the poem signifying the importance of form in relationship to content.

Way 4: Unpacking an Instance of Figurative Language
It is evident that throughout this poem that Ezra Pound has made use of imagery and symbolism. The first line begins showing the innocence of a haircut, "While my hair was still cut straight across my forehead". When I think of a haircut straight across the forehead I think of the innocence of a child. The rest of the five lines in the first stanza confirm that this symbol is indeed of an innocent as she plays outside "pulling flowers" until a playmate comes along. The last line of the stanza reaffirms the symbol of innocence, "Two small people, without dislike or suspicion." In fact the word "playing" is repeated three times in lines 2,3 and 4, which signifies the innocense of a young child.

Way 4: Unpacking Another Instance of Figurative Language
The word "gate" in line 20 is symbolic in this poem. It is by the "front gate" that the children meet, a gate that stands as a barrior to keep away looming danger. In the 5th stanza the gate is now over-grown with "the different mosses" giving the impression that it has not been opened in a while, which is no longer a safe place as it now stands as a barrier between the young woman and her distanced husband.

Way 4: Unpacking Another Instance of Figurative Language
The word "mosses" is a symbol of sexuality. "By the gate now, the moss the moss is grown, the different mosses, / Too deep to clear them away! (20-21). At this point in the poem the young wife realized how much she longs for and desires to physically be with her husband. Her yearnings and fears are over taking her entire universe, consuming all of her thoughts.

Way 5: Analyzing the Setting
The setting occurs outside, with small children playing by a "front gate, pulling flowers" (2). They live in a village with some sort of a wall or border used for protection "Lowering my head I looked at the wall" (9), "Why should I climb and look out?" (14). They live in or near a jungle since there is a reference to monkeys, mosses, and butterflies. It is an area that gets colder during in the fall, "The leaves fall early this autumn, in wind." (22).

Way 6: Identifying and Analyzing Point of View
The first two lines of the poem speak of a first person point of view, "While my hair was still cut straight across my forehead / I played about the front gate." The word "I" is typical of first person narration. The narrator is the protagonist in the poem, the wife of river-merchant. Since the poem is written in first person the point of view narrows in on the narrator's feeling after her husband leaves and does not come back. It is a very personal letter, almost like something you would see written in a diary. It is interesting how this poem also refers to the second-person "you" giving the impression the letter is written to whoever is reading it. The poem is missing how the husband is feeling, where he is, and when he is coming back. Is he still alive, wounded or decided not to return home? These are questions that cannot be answered with first person narration. If the poem were written in any other form it would lose its personal connection to the narrator. This is a poem about loss and despair. If any other elements or characters were added the entire meaning of the poem would change.

Way 7: Analyzing Complexity, Ambiguity, & Difficulty
My first impression of the poem it appeared the references to bamboo stilts, and monkeys referred to a tropical and warm environment, like a jungle. The references to the outdoors set the scene of a beautiful jungle with looming danger present, much like life with all of its uncertainties. As I began to unpack the poem I was sure it was about a young wife who was concerned she would never see her husband again as she begins the grieving process, "They hurt me. I grow older." (25).

The ambiguities I found after a closer reading are in lines 18, 20, and 23, "The monkeys make sorrowful sounds overhead. / By the gate now, the moss is grown, the different mosses, / The paired butterflies are already yellow with August". To my amazement all three references could have multiple meanings. Initially I believed the sound the monkeys were to announce immanent danger, the way this young woman was feeling regarding the loss of her husband. The moss growing up to the gate could be connected to the amount of time he has been gone. The color of the paired butterflies represent a season change, a reminder that winter was coming, and he was still gone.

Upon closer inspection regarding monkey's noises, different kinds of mosses, and paired butterflies I discovered all three had a similar sexual meaning. Monkeys make noises for many reasons including sexual acts. The sexual reproduction of different mosses takes place when male and female cells come together to create a number of individual cells. Paired butterflies are joined together for the reproduction of eggs, since their primary goal is to reproduce. Since this discovery the poem has become more complex, which adds to the meaning. Looking at the story afresh there appears to be a childhood crush as the young boy comes around by the young girl walking with stilts, parading around elevated above her to showing his superiority (3). They eventually marry and she refers to him as "My Lord" (7). She is uncomfortable at first until she discovers her love and devotion for her husband, "Called to, a thousand times, I never looked back" (10). She has sexual desires that have been fulfilled by her husband and she realizes the pleasure of such a union, "I desired my dust to be mingles with yours" (12). Because her husband is a river-merchant his work requires him to be gone for long periods of time, and he dreads leaving the arms of his young wife, "You dragged your feet when you went out." (19). She misses him terribly and cannot escape the feeling that even in nature there is a dependence on one another no different than a marriage union.

Way 8: Considering Canonicity
In order to determine if a piece of literature is considered a canon, a general rule is to look at its aesthetic value along with how society views or values it. The meaning of aesthetic value according to, //A Practical Introduction to Literary Study, "//means value attributed to an art form because of its artistic beauty." The poem, "The River-Merchant's Wife: A Letter", by Ezra Pound was published in 1915, and is considered a translation from a series of Chinese poems composed originally from Ernest Fenollosa. Because Pound's translations were written with such elegance and clarity they are considered poetry, and a canon. During his study of Fenollosa's writings Pound discovered the technique of imagery used in Chinese ideogram. After this Pound began to use imagery to get his point across, and it has been used ever since.

An article from the WPS website referred to Pound "as a father of modernism". He could see what the future held for artists, and believed a good piece of literature should be a reflection of modern day society. Since that time period we have changed the way we define literature to what we now call a //canon//. Pound is known for taking an old piece of literature and giving it new life. In order to understand Pound's poetry it is important to research the era in which the poem was written and take a closer look at the culture in which he lived in.

Way 9: Biographical Context
An academic search about Ezra Pound revealed he was an only child adored by both of his parents. Doris Eder wrote an article based on a book review she did called, //A Serious Character: The Life of Ezra Pound,// written by Humphrey Carpenter. Eder shared that Ezra Pound was raised in a sub division of Philadelphia, and attended a military academy. Pound also attended the University of Pennsylvania and Hamilton College, and had begun to be an avid traveler by the tender age of twelve. By fifteen Ezra Pound appeared confident and sure of the path his future held as he boldly shared his dreams to learn "more about poetry than any man living...I would know what was accounted poetry everywhere, what part of poetry was 'indestructible' what part could not be lost by translation and...what effects were utterly incapable of being translated" (ebscohost.com). This quote was instrumental in understanding how approximately 13 years later Pound translated and rewrote the poem, //The River-Merchants Wife: A Letter,// which was already his third collection of poetry. This was an old poem that had been brought back to life sharing the real life experience of sorrow and grief after the separation of a wife from her husband.

Way 10: Historical and Cultural Contexts
In the 19th century poems that were written by famous poets such as Bryan Scott were inspirational in helping people grasp their feelings and to put them in words, although it was the 20th century poets including Ezra Pound that required additional thinking to understand what they were trying to say. Jay Paini, a novelist, poet and professor of English, shares that the process of change occurred in the 20th century when poets began looking at "the complexities of modern culture". There was an awakening in human emotions during and after World War 1, in fact during this time Pound befriended his idol William Buttler Yeats while living in England, and became his secretary. These early years were inspirational for Pound as the two began to study Ernest Feollosa, an American professor at Tokyo Imperial University. "The River Merchants Wife: A Letter" was originally written by Fenollosa, and it became a passion for Pound as he began translating it to the English language. During this time people began seeing the importance of meaningful poetry. Popular culture emerged with a trend that began to look at the totality of human conduct. Up until this time writers were feeling stifled and restricted, but gifted writers such as Pound began to emerge.

Way 11: Theoretical Application
A feminist would approach of "The River-Merchant's Wife: A Letter" would be about gender inequality. The title alone denotes the husbands trade, but does not pay homage to the young wife. Why does the title only refer to the husband's trade? It could be because of cultural stereotype of that day which believed men should earn the family's income, while the wife stayed home doing her domestic duties. Line 15-16 affirms this attitude, "At sixteen you departed / You went as far as Ku-to-yen", while the young wife remained at home waiting for the return of her husband. What is the wife went away for "five months"? Would her young husband be as faithful to wait for her? These are all questions a feminist would ask when reading and interpreting this poem.

Way 12: Another Theoretical Application
The New Criticism approach to this poem would focus on form and content and the relationship between the two. Since this poem is full of imagery the questions asked using the New Critical approach would be how the image of "paired butterflies" correlate to how the young woman is feeling. The butterflies are yellow with color signifying the approach of fall, and the idea is that they remain together during this change of season. The image of togetherness is only another reminder that her husband is still not by her side and she is panicking. The sentence structure in this last stanza is longer than usual signifying the length of time that seems to drag on and on.

In fact the sentence structure throughout the poem reveals hidden meanings as well. Each line that ends with a period ends with a complete thought. For example "At fourteen I married My Lord you." (7) says a lot, one short sentence talks about a major event for this young couple using four simple words. It gives the poem a matter-of-fact tone. It is what it is and no more needs to be said.

Way 13: Unifying Interpretation
My first impression of the poem was about a young woman waiting for the return of her spouse after being gone 5 long months. I never imagined how much the poem would unfold before my very eyes to a beautiful piece of literature that spoke directly to my heart. This poem unfolded as a beautiful love story between a husband and a wife.

The way each stanza was set up spoke volume about the feelings of the young wife. The long and short sentences revealed different tones as you could directly sense exactly what she was going through. The beginning was carefree with easy going long sentences. Each stanza represented a different period in the young woman's life. The short sentences revealed an abruptness that occurred in her life. But as the poem progressed the lines became longer once again but with a sense fear and panic, and a more serious tone as though the short sentences were trying to say, "I have had enough"! Beginning the poem in the first-person created a personal feeling.

As I continued to unpack the poem looking up the definitions for words like "paired butterflies" and "mosses" ambiguity began to surround the poem. It suddenly appeared to me that the poem was trying to tell me a deep hidden secret it could no longer hold in. The idea of oneness and sexuality between the two began to unfold. I began to see how much this young wife really loved her husband and how much she was yearning to be with him. The panic also began to grow deeper as I sensed her deep mourning for the love of her life. I wanted to reach out and console her.

Unpacking the poem further looking into the biographical, historical and cultural contexts gave me an even deeper understanding. I learned about Ezra Pound and the influence he had on helping young new writers find their fame. I also learned his passion to see imagery used to describe poetry. Pound was also known for taking literature and writing pieces that required the reader to sit down to try and figure out the meaning. Up until this time period poetry was written as a way of escape, it was fairly easy for just anybody to understand.

Lastly, looking at Pound's poem in view of different theoretical applications took me outside of my comfort zone and forced me to view this poem differently. It was a great experience learning about different approaches, one that I will never forget!

Works Sited:
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Eder, Doris. "All abou Ezra." __EBSCOhost.__ Spring 1990. Virginia Quarterly Review. 28 Nov. 2008 <[|http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uwc.edu>]

Menard, Louis. "The Pound Error". __EBSCOhost.__ 9 June 2008. New Yorker. <[|http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uwc.edu]>

__Steven Matterson THE AMERICAN NOVEL__. 2003. THE ESSENTIAL GLOSSARY: AMERICAN LITERATURE. 29 November 2008 

Parini, Jay. "Why Poetry Matters". __EbscoHost__. 27, June, 2008.Chronicle of Higher Education. <[|http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uwc.edu]>

Harding, Jeremy "Short Cuts" __EBSCOhost.__ 23 October 2008. London Review of Books. 29 November 2008. 

Brown, James S., and Scott Yarbrough. __A Practical Introduction to Literary Study__. New Jersey: Pearson Education, 2005.