Italian Campagna 1309, the open road

Bah! I have sung women in three cities,
But it is all the same;
And I will sing of the sun.

Lips, words, and you snare them,
Dreams, words, and they are as jewels,
Strange spells of old deity,
Ravens, nights, allurement:
And they are not;
Having become the souls of song.

Eyes, dreams, lips, and the night goes.
Being upon the road once more,
They are not.
Forgetful in their towers of our tuneing
Once for wind-runeing
They dream us-toward and
Sighing, say, “Would Cino,
Passionate Cino, of the wrinkling eyes,
Gay Cino, of quick laughter,
Cino, of the dare, the jibe.
Frail Cino, strongest of his tribe
That tramp old ways beneath the sun-light,
Would Cino of the Luth were here!”

Once, twice a year—
Vaguely thus word they:

“Cino?” “Oh, eh, Cino Polnesi
The singer is’t you mean?”
“Ah yes, passed once our way,
A saucy fellow, but . . .
(Oh they are all one these vagabonds),
Peste! ’tis his own songs?
Or some other’s that he sings?
But *you*, My Lord, how with your city?”

My you “My Lord,” God’s pity!
And all I knew were out, My Lord, you
Were Lack-land Cino, e’en as I am,
O Sinistro.

I have sung women in three cities.
But it is all one.
I will sing of the sun.
. . . eh? . . . they mostly had grey eyes,
But it is all one, I will sing of the sun.

“‘Pollo Phoibee, old tin pan, you
Glory to Zeus’ aegis-day,
Shield o’ steel-blue, th’ heaven o’er us
Hath for boss thy lustre gay!

‘Pollo Phoibee, to our way-fare
Make thy laugh our wander-lied;
Bid thy ‘flugence bear away care.
Cloud and rain-tears pass they fleet!

Seeking e’er the new-laid rast-way
To the gardens of the sun . . .

* * *

I have sung women in theree cities
But it is all one.
I will sing of the white birds
In the blue waters of heaven,
The clouds that are spray to its sea.”

Analysis, meaning and summary of Ezra Pound's poem Cino

3 Comments

  1. Sheryl Skoglund says:

    Cino is a comune in the province of Sondrio in Italy, and it has a population of about 400 inhabitants, with an area of 5 km², the density is 67 hab/km² . Cino borders the following municipalities:…

  2. Sheryl Skoglund says:

    “I have sung women in three cities
    But it is all one.
    The trinity is three in one in the Christian Bible. The three women are Venus the morning star, Mary, and the Queen of the Stars named Israel in the last book of the Bible. “Dreams, words, and they are as jewels,
    Strange spells of old deity,
    Ravens, nights, allurement:
    And they are not;
    Having become the souls of song” The raven is death and has taken the souls of song. A song about Rosemary and the Qreen is a modern song of the three women.

  3. Mustafa Shen says:

    I have sung women in three cities
    But it is all one.
    I will sing of the white birds
    In the blue waters of heaven,
    The clouds that are spray to its sea.”

    WHAT DOES POUND MEAN BY SAYING
    “I have sung women in three cities
    But it is all one.
    I will sing of the white birds
    In the blue waters of heaven,
    The clouds that are spray to its sea”, IS IT UNDERSTANDABLE? ESPECIALLY BY THE WORDS “The clouds that are spray to its sea”. CAN SOMEONE HELP ME,PLEASE?
    MUSTAFA

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