Poem Summary. These are literally children, but they are looked at as mini-adults from an older perspective. Learn Literary Terms. School Memberships, © 2020 OwlEyes.org, Inc. All Rights Reserved. We learn that she was very young at the time of her marriage (although this was typical of arranged marriages when Li … To drive home the emotional development of our speaker in that time, the poem makes use of time-related imagery along the way. Historical Context. Line 21-22: The mosses growing thick represent a metaphor for how much time has passed since the speaker has seen her man. Enchiridion (en ki RID i on): Greek, a handbook. Instead, we get a very clear picture of her situation from the technique of the poem itself. Prev Article. One example of symbolism in our poem is "By the gate now, the moss is grown, the different mosses, too deep to clear them away." Um, isn't it "you went far into Ku-to-yen" and not "you went into fat Ku-to-yen"? "still cut straight across my Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. An Analysis of the Use of Imagery in Ezra Pound’s “The River-Merchant’s Wife: A Letter” The poem “The River-Merchant’s Wife: A Letter,” by Ezra Pound, tells the story of a woman writing a letter to her husband who she has not seen for five months. Here it's important to note that Pound didn't write "The River Merchant's Wife" but rather translated it from the original Chinese, written by Li Po. This form, though perhaps not Li Po's intent, does actually align with the content of this poem. Pound's title, "The River Merchant's Wife," suggests that he left for work, but the original title doesn't, and Li Po gives no direct indication of the husband's profession, except that he's frequently on the river. Find full texts with expert analysis in our extensive library. We learn that she was very young at the time of her marriage (although this was typical of arranged marriages when Li Po wrote his original poem.) Much of this is connected with the transition from spring to autumn as a metaphor for the shift from abundance (abundance of love, in the case of this poem) to a lack thereof. Alfred the Great had a book he called his enchiridion in which he copied quotations, poems, and anything of note he came across. Li Po's natural images and Eastern sensibility would've appealed to Pound as one of the founding members of Imagism, a movement in poetry dedicated to clarity, rhythm, and precision in diction. The narrator of the poem is characterized as a lonely, isolated woman who longs for the return of her husband. | Owl Eyes is an improved reading and annotating experience for classrooms, book clubs, and literature lovers. Given that this departure immediately follows the speaker's question about distance, she might be wondering why her husband left, and if he loves her as much as she loves him. The River-Merchant's Wife : A Letter 726 Words | 3 Pages. The River-Merchant's Wife: A Letter by Li Po Poem Analysis: Author's Word Choice Symbolism is the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities.