Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Commission" by Ezra Pound is a call to action, an exhortation for his poems-embodied as agents of his will-to go forth into the world and serve as catalysts for change. Through this poem, Pound articulates a form of poetic activism, aiming to disrupt conventional norms and challenge various forms of oppression. It is not just a poem but a manifesto, underlining the poet's belief in the potential of words to effect change.

"Go, my songs, to the lonely and the unsatisfied," Pound begins, directing his poetic creations to reach those who are disenchanted with life or shackled by societal norms. The chosen audience is wide-ranging: "the nerve-wracked," "the enslaved-by-convention," "the bourgeoise who is dying of her ennuis," and even "the hideously wedded." Here, the poet paints a portrait of a society afflicted by various kinds of emotional and existential discontent. Each group represents a facet of life where the human spirit is subdued or confined, be it by loneliness, societal expectations, or unhappy relationships.

The core message his songs are to deliver is Pound's "contempt for their oppressors." Contempt here is not just a form of disdain but a provocative challenge, a call to reevaluate the constraints that bind people. The poems are meant to function as a "great wave of cool water," cleansing the societal landscape and providing a respite from oppression, whether it be "unconscious" or "imaginative."

One of the key lines, "Speak against the tyranny of the unimaginative," illustrates Pound's view that the source of many societal ills lies in a lack of imagination. Conformity, predictability, and a narrow scope of thinking are the oppressive forces that bind the "unluckily mated" or "the woman entailed." By decrying these, the poet is urging a cultural revolution against not just specific, tangible injustices but also against more insidious, pervasive attitudes.

Moreover, the poem emphasizes the importance of the "friendly manner" and "open speech" with which these messages should be conveyed. Despite his aggressive challenge to societal norms, Pound understands the importance of approachability. If the poems are to serve as emissaries, then their demeanor must be open and inviting, encouraging dialogue rather than shutting it down.

The concluding lines, "Go out and defy opinion, / Go against this vegetable bondage of the blood. / Be against all sorts of mortmain," summarize the essence of the entire poem. The "vegetable bondage of the blood" could refer to familial and ancestral chains that restrict individual freedom, echoing the lines "To see three generations of one house gathered together! / It is like an old tree with shoots, / And with some branches rotted and falling." Mortmain, an old legal term referring to the inalienable ownership of land, is used metaphorically to depict any lasting, stifling condition or institution.

"Commission" is thus a bold clarion call for poems to serve as forces for societal reevaluation and change. Ezra Pound deploys his words as soldiers in a cultural revolution, taking on the imperative to provoke, stimulate, and challenge. It is a piece that encapsulates the transformative aspirations of Pound's broader oeuvre, underlining the poet's belief in the power of language to intervene in the world in concrete, impactful ways.

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