The Return (Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Ezra Pound
- First Published: 1912
- Type of Work: Lyric
- Genres: Poetry, Lyric poetry
- Subjects: Power, personal or social, Religion, Emotions, Fear, Self-confidence, Gods or goddesses, Heroes or heroism
The Poem
The apparent simplicity of this twenty-line poem belies its mysterious subject and persona. Its short lines, straightforward diction, and compelling rhythms pull the reader forward through a series of striking images, but at the poem’s end, he or she is nowhere nearer to discovering the dramatic situation.
Most scholars agree that “The Return” is about the return of the ancient, pre-Judeo-Christian gods to earth, but others argue that the poem describes the retreat, the “anabasis,” of a once-mighty army. Either interpretation fits, although the “Gods...
[The entire page is 1643 words long]
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