Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Further Instructions" by Ezra Pound is an intriguing meditation on the relationship between a poet and his creations, perhaps serving as a reflection on the anxiety and self-doubt that accompany artistic production. The poem opens with a call for his songs-metaphors for his poetic works-to express "baser passions," like envy for the man "with a steady job and no worry about the future." This initial sentiment carries an undercurrent of cynicism and discontent, as if the speaker is frustrated with his own work's inability to capture the complexities and struggles of life.

Pound portrays his songs as idle entities, hanging around "streets," "corners," and "bus-stops," doing "next to nothing at all." This serves as an admission that his creations are not engaged with the world; they are inactive, possibly ineffectual. They do not express "our inner nobilities," the deeper, finer qualities of human experience that perhaps Pound aspires to portray in his work. The predicted "bad end" for his songs reflects a broader concern about the fate of art that is disconnected from life's more significant aspects.

The speaker of the poem then turns the focus inward, claiming to have gone "half cracked" from talking to these idle creations. The lines express the isolation and madness that can result from an intense internal dialogue with one's own art. The phrase "insolent little beasts, shameless, devoid of clothing" suggests that the songs are raw, unformed, and still bear the insolence of unrefined ideas. They are neither dressed up in sophistication nor do they conform to social norms, much like a poet who is engrossed in his own world, neglecting societal expectations.

The last part of the poem adds another layer to this complex relationship. It's addressed to the "newest song of the lot," offering it grand attire-a "green coat out of China" with dragons, and "the scarlet silk trousers" from a statue of the infant Christ. This splendid clothing seems to represent artistic form, the 'dressing up' of raw ideas into something elegant and dignified. But these adornments are also extravagant to the point of being ostentatious, which introduces a satirical note. The adornments, in a way, mock the very idea of 'dressing up' shallow or idle thoughts in pretentious language or form.

The final lines-"Lest they say we are lacking in taste, Or that there is no caste in this family"-bring a sense of irony. It's as if the speaker is commenting on the absurdity of the poetic endeavor itself, recognizing that even in its most grandiose or refined state, it might still be a futile exercise in vanity.

Ezra Pound's "Further Instructions" serves as a multifaceted exploration of artistic doubt, offering no solutions but many layers of questions. It illuminates the struggle between form and substance, the isolation that comes with artistic creation, and the self-imposed pressures for art to be both true to life and aesthetically exceptional.

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