Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Dum Capitolium Scandet" by Ezra Pound is a compact yet potent poem that deals with the complex theme of legacy. The title, rendered in Latin, suggests the ascension to the Capitoline Hill, an act symbolizing great achievement or leadership in ancient Roman times. In this context, it evokes notions of authority and tradition, a fitting backdrop to a poem where the speaker is concerned with what will follow him after his life and work.

The poem begins with the speaker contemplating the future, speculating on how many will come after him who can sing "as well as I sing, none better." This line speaks not only to the hubris of artistic creation but also to the hope that one's work will inspire future generations. This is not a simple wish for mimicry; the speaker wants his successors to be adept at "Telling the heart of their truth," a task he believes he has taught them. Here, Pound seems to be grappling with the concept of influence-acknowledging both its limits and its potentials.

The phrase "Fruit of my seed" gives the poem an almost paternal tone. These future poets are considered the speaker's "unnameable children," a line that acknowledges the anonymity and unpredictability of influence. Artists inspire others in ways they can't anticipate or control, and those who are influenced often transform this inspiration into something entirely new. The term "unnameable" could also imply an influence so widespread that it's impossible to attribute it to a single source, further complicating the notion of artistic legacy.

The last two lines, "Know then that I loved you from afore-time, / Clear speakers, naked in the sun, untrammelled," tie the poem together with a sense of benevolent foresight. The speaker loves these future poets even before they exist because they are the continuation of a tradition he values-of clear, unburdened expression. The phrase "naked in the sun, untrammelled" serves as a metaphor for artistic freedom and vulnerability, two qualities the speaker hopes will characterize his artistic progeny.

In the larger context of Ezra Pound's controversial life and mixed legacy, this poem can also be seen as a meditation on how an artist's influence can be both profound and problematic. Pound, who was a significant force in modernist poetry, also held political and social views that have been widely criticized. Thus, the poem can also read as a pondering of how future generations will grapple with the complicated inheritance left by a figure who is at once inspiring and troubling.

"Dum Capitolium Scandet" serves as a poetic space where Pound, or the speaker who stands in for him, reckons with the dual nature of legacy-its grand aspirations and its inevitable ambiguities. It is a reflective moment that captures the complex relationship between the artist and the unknown future, framed by the understanding that influence is as unpredictable as it is inescapable.

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