Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "Cantus Planus," by Ezra Pound, one is immediately struck by the poem's brevity and enigmatic language, which suggests an evocation of both the mystical and the dangerous. Pound, a modernist poet often praised for his ability to blend cultures and epochs into a singular poetic vision, invokes various cultural references to create a sense of immediacy and a deeper layer of meaning.

The poem opens with a startling image: "The black panther lies under his rose tree." The panther and the rose tree form an unusual juxtaposition of danger and beauty. The black panther, generally a symbol of power and ferocity, lies under a tree of roses, typically associated with beauty and fragility. This sets up an immediate tension, inviting the reader to consider the coexistence of seemingly opposite elements-danger and beauty, power and fragility.

The poem then shifts to a series of exclamations: "Evoe, Evoe, Evoe Baccho, O / ZAGREUS, Zagreus, Zagreus." The invocation of Bacchus (Dionysus in Greek mythology), the god of wine and revelry, along with Zagreus, another name for a divine figure closely associated with Dionysus, creates an atmosphere of celebration and chaos. The "Evoe" is a cry often used in Bacchanalian rites, suggesting a primal, ritualistic context for the poem.

The next lines, "Hesper adest. Hesper adest. / Hesper adest," herald the arrival of the evening star (Hesperus), often considered a symbol of light in the encroaching darkness. This seems to bring the poem to a temporary pause, invoking a moment of cosmic significance.

The poem concludes with a repetition of the first line, "The black panther lies under his rose tree." This cyclical structure imbues the poem with a sense of eternal recurrence, perhaps underlining the inevitability of the coexistence of contrasting elements in life. Or perhaps, it reminds us that despite the divine invocations and cosmic events, the earthly and the immediate-embodied by the black panther-persist.

Pound often utilized historical and mythological references to comment on contemporary society or human nature more broadly. The invocation of Bacchus and Zagreus could suggest a critique or celebration of ecstatic abandon, a theme that was quite prevalent during the early to mid-20th century, often viewed through the lens of the post-World War I disillusionment. Alternatively, the poem could be read as an acknowledgment of the dualities that exist within nature and human life: beauty and danger, chaos and order, the earthly and the divine.

The poem's brevity only adds to its density, making each word, each symbol, and each reference all the more significant. Despite its compact form, "Cantus Planus" opens up a wide range of interpretive possibilities, showcasing Pound's skill in creating a rich, multi-layered text that defies easy interpretation.

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