The Lake Isle

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Recommended: Nature used in poetry

The Lake Isle

There comes a point in everybody's life when a thought of a getaway from the lives we live crosses our mind. For some it's just an image that pops up and quickly disappears with its unrealistic theme and others can't get it out of their mind, dwelling about it their whole life. Although, most people do think of an escape, they don't particularly know what they want. In his poem "The Lake Isle", Ezra Pound puts down on paper the simple things he longs for in life, revealing us the picture of the milieu he wants to escape to.

The poem begins with Ezra Pound invoking the gods to give him a little tobacco shop, which indeed represents the place if his desire. Just like an artist, he is painting us a picture of a perfect getaway from his daily life, only he is doing it with words. He mentions that in this shop he wants little boxes to be piled up neatly, which I think indicates to Pound's craving for order in life. He also states that he wants these boxes to be bright, implying that may be there isn't much glow in his livelihood, and he is tired of living in a dull and spiritless society. Moreover, the use of the word "bright" twice puts a bit stronger emphasis on that particular issue in his life. In overall, Ezra Pound is not asking for baskets filled with gold, nor is he looking for luxury. He is not after an extraordinary life style. He has a longing for the simple and unsophisticated things. This could be inferred from the lines where he points out that he is not looking for fancy women to make serious conversations with. He just wants the ladies of the evening to drop by, to say hello to and crack a joke with.

I find it significant and also very clever that in his poem Pound decided to include the Greek gods. Since in Greek mythology, gods were known for demanding something in return, the ending of this poem seems to be a direct result of its beginning. As the author rethinks it over, he realizes that it could be too much he is asking for. Nevertheless, he does not mind settling for less.

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