“Let the Gods forgive what I have made.” These words etched on Ezra Pound’s soul echo through the ages. We stand before a simple stone slab. It marks the final resting place of Ezra Pound in Venice.
Pound was an Idaho-born poet. He became a major figure in the early modernist poetry movement. His life was filled with literary brilliance and personal controversy.
He first visited Venice as early as 1898. He was repeatedly drawn to its Renaissance spectacle. In 1908, he stayed in Venice. He resided above a bakery at 861 Ponte San Vio. The location was near the Grand Canal. Yet, it was beyond the crush of San Marco.
It must have been here, then, that Pound assembled poems. They would appear in his first book. A Lume Spento was printed at his own expense. The title is taken from Dante’s Purgatory. It means “with tapers quenched.”
Pound’s most important achievement came in 1920. It was long after he left Italy for London. It was shortly before he would return. The occasion was the publication of Hugh Selwyn Mauberly. It was a lament for the casualties of World War I. It was an excoriation of the forces that brought about the debacle.
Pound moved to Italy in 1924. He embraced Benito Mussolini’s fascism. He expressed support for Adolf Hitler. During World War II, Pound made radio broadcasts for the Italian government. He attacked the United States. In 1945, he was captured.
Ruled mentally unfit, Pound was incarcerated for twelve years. He stayed at St. Elizabeths psychiatric hospital in Washington, D.C.. After a campaign, he was released in 1958. He returned to Italy.
Toward the end of his life, Pound spent part of every year in Venice. He stayed in Olga Rudge’s house. By now, he had sunk into silence. In one of his last cantos, he wrote for the Gods to forgive what he has made. He asked those he loved to try to forgive what he has made. He judged The Cantos a “botch.”
Ezra Pound’s grave lies in the Protestant section of Venice’s cemetery isle. It is on San Michele. Beside him lies his mistress Olga Rudge. The cemetery is silent. Lizards sun themselves on the tombs. Red chrysanthemums lie at Pound’s grave.
Ezra Pound died in Venice in 1972. His economic and political views made him controversial. However, his contribution to poetry is undeniable. May we remember Ezra Pound for his poetry. May we learn from his mistakes. May we strive for understanding and peace.
What thou lovest well remains. What thou lovest well remains. Could be.