Come, my songs, let us express our baser passions.
Let us express our envy for the man with a steady job and no worry about the future. 
You are very idle, my songs, 
I fear you will come to a bad end. 
You stand about the streets, You loiter at the corners and bus-stops,
You do next to nothing at all. 

You do not even express our inner nobilitys, 
You will come to a very bad end.

And I? I have gone half-cracked. 
I have talked to you so much that I almost see you about me, 
Insolent little beasts! Shameless! Devoid of clothing!

But you, newest song of the lot, 
You are not old enough to have done much mischief. 
I will get you a green coat out of China
With dragons worked upon it. 
I will get you the scarlet silk trousers
From the statue of the infant Christ at Santa Maria Novella; 
Lest they say we are lacking in taste, 
Or that there is no caste in this family. 

Added: on July 6th, 2005 at 11:55 PM | Viewed: 2442 times | Comments (1)

Poet: Ezra Pound
Poem: Further Instructions

Are you looking for more information on this poem? Perhaps you are trying to analyze it? The poem, Further Instructions, has received one comment so far. Click here to read it, and perhaps post a comment of your own. Of course you can also always discuss poems by Ezra Pound with others on the American Poems poetry forum!