“The apparition of these faces in the crowd;
Petals on a wet, black bough.”
Pound’s imagist poem of modernist tradition has generated much intrigue and perplexity in the readers since its publication in 1913. It is written in a verbless poetry form and is rich in imagery and symbolism. It is ambiguous in nature. The description of the scene of a metro station where the people appear to be petals on a tree before disappearing into the crowd sets the theme of urbanity and reveals the dehumanizing effects of modernity. It is a deceptively simple poem that contains rich layers of meaning. We will discuss the various interpretations of this poem and multiple forms of criticism applied to it.
In the field of criticism, the first question that arises is ‘Can this poem be considered original?’ Where did the idea come from? Pound in an article entitled ‘Vorticism’ explains how he got the inspiration for the poem. He writes: “Three years ago in Paris I got out of a “metro” train at La Concorde, and saw suddenly a beautiful face, and then another and another, and then a beautiful child’s face, and then another beautiful woman, and I tried all that day to find words for what this had meant to me, and I could not find any words that seemed to me worthy, or as lovely as that sudden emotion. And that evening, as I went home along the Rue Raynouard, I was still trying and I found, suddenly, the expression. I do not mean that I found words, but there came an equation . . . not in speech, but in little splotches of color.”
The poet’s choice of words has made the text open to multiple interpretations by the reader. The use of the word ‘apparition’ suggests sudden appearance or emergence of something. It refers to the ghostliness and the ethereality of the scene. The phrase ‘these faces’ mean the multitude of people at the station. The faces lack individuality and are collectively viewed as a crowd. Pound is implying the anonymity of the people in an urbane climate and the universality of everyone’s situation highlighting the transience and impermanence of life. Who are ‘these’ people? Is the referring to a specific group of the people? ‘Crowd’ is typical of the busy urban environments such as subway stations. It is suggestive of the density and movement of the station. ‘Petals’ are the delicate, colorful parts of a flower. The faces are compared to these petals which represent transient beauty and fragility. The poet maybe, wants to emphasize the beauty, grace and elegance even amid the hustle and bustle of the station. They are then contrasted with darkness as wet, black bough gives a sense of gloominess and dampness, symbolizing death and decay and the inevitable cycle of life and death.
The next branch of criticism moves towards the author. Is the author present in this poem? Do we see traces of Pound in this poem? We do not. By no chance, can we infer from only the text that it was written by Ezra Pound. But at the same time, it is reflexive of its poet. This poem could not have been written by anyone but Pound.
The next question would be: Do author’s personal beliefs affect the reader’s understanding of his works? Ezra Pound was a fascist propagandist who supported Mussolini and Hitler. He was sent to a mental hospital to escape persecution after the wars. It would be wrong to deny that such facts cannot change our perspective while reading his literary works. A lot of his admirers, readers and fellow poets took shelter under New Criticism and used it as shield against anyone who tried to connect Pound’s beliefs to his works. The new critics considered text as ‘autonomous’ and refused to associate it with the biographical or historical facts regarding its author. Thus, Pound’s literary brilliance was stressed on instead of dwelling on his personal inhibitions.
The presence of author is comforting to the reader. It saves the reader from exploring the chaos of reading. But it is only the death of the author that leads to the birth of the reader. By separating the text from its author can the reader freely view the text. Therefore, the author is present as well as absent. The author is a kind of a ghost.
The text is always a part of the world. Language holds a mirror to the real world and no text is independent of language. The choice of words and diction of this poem bear witness to the sentimentalities of its time. Disillusionment after the world war had pervaded the scene. The people especially the writers wanted to break away from the traditional norms and customs. The poet has kept the poem impersonal emphasizing its universality.
Pound’s poem is a quintessential example of modernist poetic tradition. The parameters of criticism have undergone significant changes over the years. A close reading of this text uncovers additional meanings and deeper insight into the broader context that is at play here. It contains a plethora of varied interpretations and multiple meanings; despite that it appears as unified. The poem is about appreciating the fleeting nature of life and a momentary glimpse of beauty that unlocks a myriad of images in the poet’s mind.
What is your opinion on Ezra Pound? Do you like his poetry? Do you think his personal life choices impacted his poetry? Drop your views in the comment section below.
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