CANTO XXVI
CALENDAR OF COMPOSITION
According to the calendar, after a period of inactivity, but mulling over a new canto from April to June, Pound drafted canto XXVI in Venice, in the first eight days of June 1927.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Correspondence by Ezra Pound: (c) Mary de Rachewiltz and the Estate of Omar S. Pound. Reproduced by permission.
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
|
EPP |
Moody, David. Ezra Pound: Poet. A Portrait of the Man and His Work. 3 vols. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2007-2015. Volume II: The Epic Years 1921-1939. 2014. |
|
L/HP |
Pound, Ezra. Ezra Pound to His Parents. Letters 1895-1929. Eds. Mary de Rachewiltz, A David Moody and Joanna Moody. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2010. |
|
SL |
Pound, Ezra. Selected Letters 1907-1945. Ed. D. D. Paige. 1950. New York: New Directions, 1971. |
1926
To Olga Rudge, April 1926
EPP 68
“In April he wrote that he had nine cantos more or less finished–they would have been 17-to 25–‘but they don’t make a vollum’. He went on, ‘She suggest a nice simple and continuous subjeck of UNIVERSAL INTEREST, to run from 26 to 33’ which would imply he had it in mind to match the first major division of Dante’s one hundred cantos.”
1927
To Homer Pound, 3 April, 1927
L/HP 623
Dear Dad:
[...]
Rodker is preparing to print Canti XVII-XXVI; and has the mss. for nine of them in hand. I suppose I get another one done by August, or sometime. [17-25]
To Homer Pound, 10 April, 1927
L/HP 623
Dear Dad
[...]
Suppose if I got started on another canto, or hadn’t forgotten all the moozik I learned last summer I might feel better. At present I’m feeling inactive.
To Homer Pound, 1 June 1927 Venice
L/HP 630
& extremely busy. will resume correspondence with outer world about July 4th.
Rodker waiting for Cantos.
To Dorothy Pound 1 June 1927
Lilly Library Pound Mss. III Box 1
Mao:
He xtends his sympathies. Very busy. 2 libraries, resting rump this am, as seats are hard.
Dazzi very useful – the Querini very good place to work, few formalities & all removed by bibliotecarius.
[…] will feel freer when I get canto XXVI off my chest. At present it is all undigested burning swelling the in’ards.
To Dorothy Pound, 3 June 1927
Lilly Library Pound Mss. III Box 1
Mao
No fit place to write […]
Dazzi interested in giardino = yesterday some bookseller had sent in a book on the garden by F. Eden with two photos of another and 3 dachs.[?] also charming old wood cuts of Bacchus and panthers.
To Dorothy Pound, 4 June 1927, Venice
Lilly Library Pound Mss. III Box 1
Mao:
[…]
Am making 1st draft of canto XXVI.
Re the damn caps
Make John take Gladys to Brit Museum (unless O.S. has the Eden Book on the garden.
To Dorothy Pound, 8 June 1927, Venice
Lilly Library Pound Mss. III Box 1
Mao:
[…]
He has done one canto & got idea for another. Bunch of Grigioni documents re medicos in Quattrocento to go with one I have had a long time & that don’t fit anything else.
From Dorothy Pound, 9 June 1927, London
Lilly Library Pound Mss. III Box 1
Mao :
[…]
Olivia has Eden book – so I’ll arrange with John and Gladys Haynes to see it… will write john immediately.
[…]
Good luck on new Canto.
To IWP, 15 June 1927, Venice
L/HP 631
Dear Mother.
Great deal to do here. 3 libraries. Am supposed to have finished Canto XXVI – so Rodker will have it in time for the new vol.
From Dorothy Pound, 24 June 1927
Lilly Library Pound Mss. III Box 1
Mao
[…]
Saw Gladys Haynes yesterday here. I like her very much. She saw Eden book. & I gave her the p. card with ark. She is I believe quite a serious painter! Is also cutting wood (not wood-cuts)
She had roused up Bunting, & he had written her lots of information on “Geryon” -
1928
To Homer Pound, 19 August 1928
L/HP 666
Dear Dad:
[...]
Have signed title pages for XVII-XXVII, suppose they will get bound sometime. etc. [...]
Nancy Cunard has taken over Bill B’s printing press, also wants to continue printing. Expecting our illustratess or capitalistress in a week or so. [Gladys Hines].
1930
To Harriet Monroe, 24 October 1930, Rapallo
SL 229
Cheers, my dear Harriet,
[...]
I you’d read Pisanello’s letter (vide Canto XXVI) and then look at some Pisanello medals or frescoes you wd. be able to work out my opinion of Mr. Gill on the subjekk of hosses.
