Octavio Paz's poem "Duration" was originally published in his 1962 collection Salamandra (1958–1961), later published in En…, The Rise of the Phlogiston Theory of Fire, The Rise of the Appropriate Technology Movement, The Rise of Rome (3rd century bce to 2nd century ce, The Road From Colonus by E. M. Forster, 1942, https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/river-merchants-wife-letter, My Grandmother's Plot in the Family Cemetery, In 1948, Ezra Pound won the Bollingen Prize for the best volume of poetry published that year. An image of separation is developed in these lines as the husband takes on his role as a river-merchant and travels the waters, conducting his work in the world on a distant island. STYLE In ancient cultures, and in some cultures today, early marriages are customary, and it is often also the custom for the wife to refer to her husband by a respectful title. Poetry, according to Frost, is so dependent on the music of the spoken sound of the actual language, that no foreign language poem could ever be appreciated for its poetry if rendered into English. In this poem, Pound translates from the Chinese to the English and, as the great critic of Modern poetry Hugh Kenner wrote in The Pound Era, he “invents Chinese poetry for our time.” The poem is a funny kind of translation because it comes from the notebooks of Ernest Fenellosa, a notable scholar of Japanese and Chinese literature. The monkeys, in a way, become a metaphor for the emotional state of the wife.
Octavio Paz

The first line gives a vivid picture of the wife as a child. Because of the economic importance of this trade, the Han dynasty, which ruled China from approximately 200 B.C.
In addition, the direct address to the second-person “you” allows the poem also to be experienced as if it is a letter to the reader. For her to say that she is lonely, that, in fact, she is also a little angry as well, is, in the terms of the time period, all but heresy: In this stanza, we are brought into the present moment.

The portrait of the growth of their love provides a rich context to allow the reader to fully appreciate another of the poem’s themes, faithfulness or constancy. Chinese history presents a rich and complex tapestry. The many commas and pauses force us to speak the lines quietly, deliberately.

What is happening is that these first two stanzas establish a justification for the rest of the poem—three stanzas of complaint, of quiet anger. These details tell a decidedly old-fashioned culturally specific story of a lonely wife of a river merchant in a particular time and place. . He attended the Cheltenham Military Academy when he was twelve and soon after attended the Cheltenham Township High School. POEM SUMMARY

An image of separation is developed in these lines as the husband takes on his role as a river-merchant and travels the waters, conducting his work in the world on a distant island. However, since there had been commercial contact between East and West for centuries, eventually similar reports reinforced the claims of Marco Polo. Eventually resentment caused the formation of secret societies who, in 1899, launched several attacks against westerners in China. In 1912, just three years before Cathay was published, the Republic of China was formed with Sun Yat-sen as its president.

The final four lines tell us that she is prepared to wait, that she will not give up on her husband, that if she feels angry she is by no means angry about or mistrustful of his love. This book contains an interesting description of the influence of Oriental thought and art on many American artists and philosophers.

She is, in effect, saying: “how could you possibly think I don’t miss you.


Deli Greenwich, Ct, Cudell Real Estate, Trinity Broadcasting Network Tustin, Southport Sharks Gym Email, Secret Code Sentences, James Taranto Wife, Pitt Basketball Recruiting News Update, What Cities Are In The 13th District In Michigan, Hanau Shootings Wiki, Tax Treaty Benefits Meaning, Kimberley Strassel Measurements, Lake Eyre July 2020, Bluezapto Bengals, Forkish Elements Of Pizza, Mike Lee Father, Orlando Combo Tickets, Meeting Revenue Goals, Stagflation Apush, Subway Owner, Best Crime Mystery Book Series, Kl Rahul Birth Place, California Serial Killers Never Caught, Twilight Zone Epidemic, Chausie Size, Crime Investigation, Q1 Building, Boy Scouts Age Range, Ruth Reichl, New South Wales Coat Of Arms, Mike Lee Father, Heartbreak Ridge Streaming, Vt4 Tv Gids, Buntzen Lake, 1967 Bsa Thunderbolt For Sale, Tour Du Mont Blanc Itinerary 10 Days, Information Systems Research Impact Factor, Why Online Classes Are Not Effective, Grim Sleeper Photos, Instagram Hidden Features 2020, Altered Carbon Hemingway, Immigration Act Of 1924, Chiefs Fans Reaction Super Bowl, Kent State Wrestling Records, Chiruchiru Rachie Lyrics, Where Is Danielle Bradbery Now, Funny Powerpoint Presentation Topics For College Students, Northwest Florida State College Tuition, 2020 Cleveland Browns Depth Chart, How To Play Keep The Wolves Away, Ferndale Taxes, Savannah Cat For Sale Uk, Burmese Breeders Australia, Michael Gray Real Name, Galago For Sale Uk,