Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Envoi" by Ezra Pound is a poetic invocation and valediction, a way to send off a book as a messenger to a person, presumably a woman who once sang the poet a song of Lawes, likely referring to Henry Lawes, the English composer. The poem discusses themes of artistic immortality, the ephemeral nature of beauty, and the relationship between the artist and their art. It oscillates between self-doubt and a hopeful vision of the endurance of beauty over time.

The speaker begins by addressing the "dumb-born book," a creation that lacks the ability to sing but is nonetheless expected to convey a message. The initial admission of the book's limitations contrasts with its high mission: to represent the poet to someone who has inspired him. He wishes that the book had the capacity for song; then it might atone for his own shortcomings and contribute to the woman's lasting glory. This expresses an anxiety about the limitations of art-here represented by the book-in capturing the ineffable qualities of life and beauty.

The woman is portrayed as an almost ethereal figure who "sheds / Such treasure in the air," her mere presence making each moment more vital. Unlike the "dumb-born book," she doesn't need to strive for a long-lasting impact; her "graces give / Life to the moment." However, the poet wishes for a form of immortality for these graces, envisioning them as "roses... in magic amber laid," preserved in beauty indefinitely. This amber metaphor encapsulates the ideal of art: to capture something beautiful and hold it "Braving time," resisting the forces of decay and forgetfulness.

As the poem moves towards its conclusion, the speaker presents a more complicated idea. He suggests that the woman who goes "With song upon her lips" but doesn't sing out loud is missing the full potential of her own beauty or art. Her song might eventually be forgotten, unlike a song that is sung out and perhaps captured in some artistic form. The poem closes with the somewhat melancholy notion that beauty alone will outlast all the "siftings on siftings in oblivion," and yet it's not entirely clear if this woman's beauty, or indeed any individual's, will achieve this form of immortality without the aid of art.

The line, "Till change hath broken down / All things save Beauty alone," speaks to the transformative power of time that wears down all things, but suggests that Beauty, in some form, will endure. This captures the modernist preoccupation with art's role in grappling with the impermanence of life, offering a vision of artistic creation as a means to strive against the inexorable force of time.

In "Envoi," Ezra Pound encapsulates a complex tension between the immediate, life-giving power of beauty and the long-lasting but limited capabilities of art. The poet and his book stand in this liminal space, aspiring to capture and preserve beauty even as they acknowledge their shortcomings in this eternal endeavor.

Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!

Other Poems of Interest...