Poetry Analysis

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‘These fought in any case’

Original Poetry

Translation

‘These fought in any case’

These fought anyway,

from Hugh Selwyn Mauberley

and some believing,

Ezra Pound

for their own sake, anyway...

Some quick to arm,

These fought in any case,

some for adventure,

and some believing,

some from fear of being weak,

pro domo, in any case ...

some from fear of criticism,

Some quick to arm,

some for love of killing, in imagination,

some for adventure, 5

learning later...

some from fear of weakness,

some in fear, learning love of killing;

some from fear of censure,

Some died for their country,

some for love of slaughter, in imagination,

not 'sweet' not 'and fitting'...

learning later ...

walked deeply in hell

some in fear, learning love of slaughter; 10

believing in old men's lies, then disbelieving

Died some, pro patria,

came home, home to a lie,

non ‘dulce’ non ‘et décor’ …

home to many deceits,

walked eye-deep in hell

home to old lies and new disgrace;

believing in old men’s lies, then unbelieving

financial exploitation age-old and thick

came home, home to a lie, 15

and liars in public places.

home to many deceits,

Daring as never before, waste as never before.

home to old lies and new infamy;

Young blood and noble blood,

usury age-old and age-thick

beautiful faces, and fine bodies;

and liars in public places.

courage as never before

Daring as never before, wastage as never before. 20

honesty as never before,

Young blood and high blood,

disappointments as never told in the old days,

fair cheeks, and fine bodies;

hysterias, trench confessions,

fortitude as never before

laughter from dead bodies.

frankness as never before,

Many died,

disillusions as never told in the old days, 25

and of the best, among them,

hysterias, trench confessions,

For an old dog with bad teeth,

laughter out of dead bellies.

For a ruined civilization,

Charm, smiling at the good mouth,

There died a myriad,

Quick eyes gone under the earth,

And of the best, among them,

For two dozen broken statues,

For an old bitch gone in the teeth, 30

For a few thousand damaged books.

For a botched civilization,

Charm, smiling at the good mouth,

Quick eyes gone under earth’s lid,

For two gross of broken statues,

For a few thousand battered books. 35

Explanation

Ezra Pound's poem 'These fought in any case' from 'Hugh Selwyn Mauberley' is a critique of the motivations and consequences of World War I. The poem reflects on the various reasons people went to war, ranging from personal beliefs to societal pressures, and the disillusionment that followed. Pound uses phrases like 'pro domo' and 'pro patria' to highlight the personal and national justifications for war, while also mocking the notion of dying for one's country as 'sweet and fitting' (a reference to the Latin phrase 'Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori'). The poem conveys a sense of betrayal and disillusionment with the 'old men's lies' and the societal structures that led to such destruction. It also touches on the physical and emotional toll of war, with references to 'young blood' and 'disillusions as never told.' The imagery of 'broken statues' and 'battered books' symbolizes the cultural and intellectual losses incurred. Overall, the poem is a powerful commentary on the futility and devastation of war, reflecting Pound's modernist perspective and his critique of contemporary society.

Word Dictionary11

Word	In English	Plain (English)	Pron.
pro domo	for one's own home	for personal benefit	pro doh-moh
pro patria	for one's country	for the nation	pro pah-tree-ah
dulce	sweet	sweet	dool-cheh
decor	fitting	fitting	deh-kor
usury	lending money at high interest	lending money at high interest	yoo-zuh-ree
infamy	disgrace	disgrace	in-fuh-mee
fortitude	courage	courage	for-ti-tood
disillusions	loss of beliefs	loss of beliefs	dis-il-loo-zhuns
myriad	many	many	mir-ee-uhd
botched	ruined	poorly done	botchd
gross	large quantity	a dozen dozen (144)	grohs

Poet & Context

PoetEzra Pound

EraModernist

Ezra Weston Loomis Pound (1885–1972) was an American poet and critic, a major figure in the early modernist poetry movement. He was influential in developing Imagism and helped shape the work of contemporaries such as T.S. Eliot and James Joyce. His later years were marked by controversial political views and activities.

View on Wikipedia

When1920

WhyHugh Selwyn Mauberley is a reflection on the disillusionment and cultural bankruptcy following World War I. Pound critiques the motivations behind the war and the societal values that led to such destruction. The poem reflects his anger towards the war and the financial systems he believed were responsible.

FormModernist poetry

Themes & More

Themes

War and its futilityDisillusionmentCritique of society

Literary devices

Irony: The poem uses irony to critique the glorification of war and the motivations behind it.Imagery: Vivid imagery is used to depict the horrors and aftermath of war.Allusion: References to classical phrases like 'Dulce et decorum est' highlight the poem's critique of traditional values.Juxtaposition: Contrasting images of 'young blood' and 'dead bellies' emphasize the waste of life.Metaphor: 'An old bitch gone in the teeth' symbolizes a decaying civilization.