River+Merchant’s+Wife+A+Letter

=The River Merchant's Wife: A Letter= By: Ezra Pound

=Who was Ezra Pound? = ====Ezra Pound was born in Ohio on October 30th, 1885. Pound spent most of his childhood growing up outside of Philadelphia as an only child. He attended the University of Pennsylvania for two years, and than transferred to Hamilton College in New York where he obtained his degree in Philosophy. He was always interested in English and literature, and in 1908 he took his career to the next level by moving to Europe, where he would publish his poetry and join forces with other poets. Pound is a notable figure in the development of imagism, a type of poetry which reflects Chinese and Japanese techniques. Pound describes this style of writing as a "sequence of musical phrase, not of metronome." In addition to imagism, Pound also was a contributing force in modernism and more current styles of poetry in todays world. Ezra Pound died in 1972 at the age of 87.====

= = =Context of Poem= ====There isn't a strong history behind this poem. The only thing one would draw attention to is the setting: 8th century China. A woman is separated from her husband while he takes part on a 6-month business trip and how she is longing for her return.====

=Criticisms/Interpretations=

The poem is rather straight-forward in its purpose. However, many poetic scholars spoke out regarding Pound's translation of Li Po's work.
Walter Sutton: //"The precise, Imagist technique of these poems, in Pound's rendition, can be seen in "The River-Merchant's Wife: A Letter." The speaker is a young wife, married at fourteen, who expresses, largely through images, the loneliness and isolation she feels in separation from her husband, absent on a five-month business trip, and her eagerness to be reunited with him. . . ."//

Garret Kaoru Hongo: // "The River-Merchant's Wife: A Letter" contains, for me, the keys to a method and a style in free verse, coupling with the Whitmanic principle of the syntactic and rhythmic integrity of the line with Pound's insistence on an imagistic "hardness" he found in the Provençal and Anglo-Saxon poetry he was also translating at this time. Notice the method of imagistic indirection by way of descriptive statement here" //

Ming Xie
==== //The "simplicity" and beauty of this poem (both the original Chinese poem and Pound's version of it) consist chiefly in the convincing speaking voice of the persona, yet full of emotional maturity and sophistication.// ====

=Theme= ====The poem is told in an order of events which displays the transition of love between the couple. There are multiple ideas spread throughout the poem, reflecting ideas femininity, isolation and love, but the theme is more specific to the growth of love. I think without being too elaborate, the speaker recognizes the difficulty of love and the feeling of yearning while being separated. Themes are about perception, and I perceived the theme of this poem to be something along the lines of love is consuming: it is aching and straining but when done right, it is magical and worth every moment.==== = = =Language/Devices= ====A very evident poetic device in this poem is **symbolism**. As previously stated, the river is a symbol for the reconnecting force of their lives. In lines 21-22, the "thick moss" described represents how much time has passed since they have seen each other. Also within the poem, the seasons change, and that is another description of time and shows truly how much has passed since being apart. Pound uses **imagery** throughout all of the stanzas, but by utilizing visual imagery he describes the physical appearances of the characters which display their age. In the first stanza, her hair was "cut straight across her head," and the reader imagines bangs, something typically youthful. The poem contains **hyperbole**, too.Stating that she "never laughed," is an example of hyperbole.==== = = =Meter= ====This poem was a translation of a poem written in Chinese, so the meter got lost in its translation since Pound did not speak Chinese. Thus, this poem is considered to be free verse. However, he did structure the form around the content of the poem and the events taking place. There are five stanzas, each one displaying growth as individuals and as a couple. The three middle stanzas are very similar in their form: 4 lines long and starting with "At (fill in the age),,," and relay the current state of their relationship so the audience connects with the speaker before reading about her isolation.==== = = =Tone and Mood= The tone of the poem is expressing attitudes of solemness and isolation. The wife is young, alone, and most likely afraid. Being married at age 16 proposes some challenges in its own, but she does not known when or if her husband will return to her. As she walks herself through their entire relationship, she is reflective on how much they have grown, and realizes how much distance can bring two people together. In the last stanza it is evident she misses him entirely, and states she will come to meet him down the river whenever he decides to come back.

Works Cited “Ezra Pound.” www.biography.com, www.biography.com/people/ezra-pound-9445428#success-abroad. Accessed 14 Mar. 2017. “River Merchants Wife.” www.english.illinois.edu, www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/m_r/pound/letter.htm. Accessed 14 Mar. 2017.