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Saturday, November 11, 2023

Hugh Selwyn Mauberley / Ezra Pound (IV-V)


    IV

These fought in any case,
and some believing, pro domo, in any case . . .

Some quick to arm,
some for adventure,
some from fear of weakness,
some from fear of censure,
some for love of slaughter, in imagination,
learning later . . .
some in fear, learning love of slaughter;
Died some, pro patria, non "dulce" non "et decor" . . .
walked eye-deep in hell
believing in old men's lies, then unbelieving
came home, home to a lie,
home to many deceits,
home to old lies and new infamy;
usury age-old and age-thick
and liars in public places.

Daring as never before, wastage as never before.
Young blood and high blood,
fair cheeks, and fine bodies;

fortitude as never before

frankness as never before,
disillusions as never told in the old days,
hysterias, trench confessions,
laughter out of dead bellies.


    V

There died a myriad,
And of the best, among them,
For an old bitch gone in the teeth,
For a botched civilization,

Charm, smiling at the good mouth,
Quick eyes gone under earth's lid,

For two gross of broken statues,
For a few thousand battered books.

~~
Ezra Pound (1885-1972)
from 
Hugh Selwyn Mauberley, 1920

[Poem is in the public domain in the United States]

Hugh Selwyn Mauberley (I-V) read by Exra Pound. (IV begins at 3:10).
Courtesy awetblackbough.

2 comments:

  1. The wastage of war, the confronting of war, to not think beyond a certain point as those fighting must be loyal to whomever sent them... to die... for whatever reason. Just senseless loss, yet not so senseless when we acknowledge what we've won through all this senseless loss of young lives... our freedom, our liberty. 🕊🕊🕊🕊🕊🕊

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  2. A perfect indictment of a civilization that would toss away young lives for what? Because Germany didn't get Morocco? For a few hundred yards of muddy land!?.

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