Ezra Pound or HD

¶ … River-Merchant's Wife: A Letter In this poem, The River-Merchant's Wife: A Letter, Ezra Pound paints a picture of a woman's plea to her husband. Her husband is shown as a merchant on a journey that has lasted for a long time. The core of the poem is the communication in depth and poignancy of a tormented wife about her sorrow at separation with her husband, the longing for a human experience of love. The poem revolves around the sense of loss, fear, and waiting.

It captures the mood of the woman revealed as insecurity whether the husband will return. Despite having been married, their separation seems to ignite conflict conveyed through this letter in which she uses love, constancy and nature to reveal her deepest and darkest thoughts. The pain and suffering revealed in this letter is fueled by the love and passion the writer has towards the recipient.

According to the poem, the narrator was married at the tender age and this further explains the fact that she has grown into awareness of love and more so towards her husband. The second line of the first stanza begins "I played" which shows the writers attitude at the beginning of their affair.

She then moves to describe their carefree merriment which also reveals their innocence "Two small people, without dislike or suspicion." She has however, grown to maturity as shown in the last four lines of the second stanza, the relationship is different from what it once was, "at fifteen [she] stopped scowling." And that she now "desired [her] dust to be mingled with [his] / Forever." This is a dramatic way of expressing her heartfelt love and passion for husband. It is a sign of a lifelong devotion to her husband.

However, the timing is inconsistent as at the height of her love for the husband, he takes a long trip that separates them, thereby creating poignancy in the letter. This is a cause of conflict to this young woman as she is left alone to mourn his absence. In addition, not only has the writer learnt to love but continuously renews her commitment and faithfulness raising fearers in her whether she will see him again. She makes mention of the fact of her fears for his safe return.

Her husband has taken a trip "into far Ku-to-yen, by the river of swirling eddies." This trip appears to have taken much longer than she thought. Though not mentioned, but it gives the impression that it might have been a dangerous trip and that she is hoping that nothing happens to him revealing anxiety associated an element of possible tragedy. This is one of the sources of her painful wait. In the 25th line, she mentions of "the paired butterflies," stating that, "They hurt me," revealing her experience of pain.

She however, appears brave in her wait noting at the end that she is prepared to meet him if only he sends a word. The letter provides emotional responses to situations that are potentially uncertain. As already mentioned this woman is concerned about her husband's safety during this trip, she has remained faithful to him and with this she is at pains wondering of his safe come back.

It involves a sense of loss, fear, and waiting, she hope for his return, despite the hints of trouble that nature has provided such as the overgrown moss and the early autumn. Moreover, the use of nature in this letter sets the tone of the later stanzas of the poem, depicting the agony of the woman as she waits for the return of her husband. The husband has been gone for five long months, during these past months, she is in agony.

The author of the poem uses the "sorrowful" as a reflection of her feeling. The writer is hereby portrayed as sorrowful, she appears to reflect upon the missed opportunity, and maybe she should have told him about all these before he left. He seemed to have "dragged [his] feet," making his way through the moss, an indication.