Embracing Nature: Ecocritical Insights into the Harmonious World of Ezra Pound’s The Canto XLIX

Abstract

This paper underscores a criticism of ecology of literary works called Environmental Concerns:Ecocritical Landmarks, Textmarks, Benchmarks (Morrison, 2002). Out of concern for the current research, the author has winnowed one of Ezra Pound’s poems, a notorious long poem deprived from the version of The Cantos of Ezra Pound (1975), the Canto XLIX, which is part of The Fifth Decad of Cantos (1937). The author employs descriptive and analytic approach in this paper. As is represented, the potential method of ecological criticism is utilized. Through a close reading the simple but beautiful verses of the long poem, we will find a strong ecological concern. Meanwhile, Pound employs description, figure of speech to express the idea of the unity of heaven and human as one, at one with nature expressed in this poem. The findings suggest that Pound conceived a great deal of conception and thought on the description of environmental vision, including the harmonious unity of human and nature. On the one hand, the vision of his writing is environmentally rich, as reflected in his realistic living environment and the poem’s depiction of nature. On the other hand, the expression of the poem is sensual, as displayed in the poet’s poetic creation incorporating the idea of at one with nature, which evokes to a certain extent the contemporary sensitivity to ecological concerns for the environment, and even the current social and environmental challenges, as well as the nature-literature connection that is increasingly evident in literary studies. The poet’s depiction of the natural environment inspires a deep sense of at one with nature, which can be seen as underlying ecological concern.