Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In Ezra Pound's poem "Satiemus," the speaker explores the psychological and emotional complexities that arise when familiarity breeds a sort of contentment tinged with melancholy. The poem grapples with the knowledge of a lover's speeches and laughter, as the speaker questions what it means to know someone's words "word by word" and what happens when love and intimacy edge towards predictability.

The opening lines pose a hypothetical situation: "What if I know thy speeches word by word? / And if thou knew'st I knew them wouldst thou speak?" The speaker presents a dilemma: if one partner knows every word that the other is going to say, would they still choose to speak? In a way, this echoes one of the perennial issues in long-standing relationships-the potential stagnation of conversation and the diminution of surprise. And yet, Pound is not content with merely posing the problem; he delves deeper into the emotional labyrinth.

As the speaker recalls a past love-"Lo, one there was who bent her fair bright head"-the issue of knowing a partner's words takes on a different dimension. It's not just about familiarity; it's about the psychological and emotional layers that each word, each laughter carries. For the speaker, the current lover's words are imbued with the shadow of past loves and bygone days.

The juxtaposition of laughter and melancholy in the lines "Or, as our laughters mingle each with each, / As crushed lips take their respite fitfully" suggests a kind of poignant ambivalence. On the surface, there's joy and physical intimacy, yet underlying that is a nostalgia, a backward glance to "The fair dead / Must know such moments, thinking on the grass; / On how white dogwoods murmured overhead / In the bright glad days." This sense of nostalgia elevates the poem from a mere exploration of relationship dynamics to a meditation on the passage of time and the haunting nature of memories.

Furthermore, the speaker engages with the concept that even laughter can be scripted, "What if I know thy laughter word by word / Nor find aught novel in thy merriment?" Even in moments of supposed carefree happiness, there's a hint of predictability and perhaps, insignificance. The term "Satiemus" in the title, roughly meaning 'we are satisfied' in Latin, further emphasizes this state of emotional saturation.

By threading these complex psychological dynamics through a series of hypothetical questions, Pound adds nuance to our understanding of love, intimacy, and memory. He refrains from passing judgment, leaving the reader to ponder the richness and the limitations of deeply knowing another person. In "Satiemus," Pound captures the existential complexities inherent in human relationships, where familiarity and novelty, past and present, joy and melancholy, coalesce in a delicate, often disquieting, equilibrium.

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