The River Merchant’s Wife: A Letter Poem Summary line by line

The River Merchant’s Wife: A Letter Poem Summary line by line-The River Merchant’s Wife: A Letter is a poignant poem written by Ezra Pound. It is influenced by Chinese poetry, especially Li Bai’s writings.
The poem explores themes of love, longing, and the passage of time.

The River Merchant’s Wife: A Letter Poem Summary

1. While my hair was still cut straight across my forehead,
   • During her youth, the speaker engaged in playful activities around her home, particularly pulling flowers near the front gate.
2. I played about the front gate, pulling flowers.
   • The speaker used to play around her house when she was younger, especially when she would pull flowers by the front gate.
3. You came by on bamboo stilts, playing horse,
   • The poem introduces the river merchant, likely the speaker’s husband, who visited her while playfully using bamboo stilts and pretending to be a horse.
4. You walked about my seat, playing with blue plums.
   • The husband strolled around the speaker’s seat, amusing himself with blue plums, suggesting a carefree and playful time in their early relationship.
5. And we went on living in the village of Chōkan:
   • The couple continued to live in the village of Chōkan, emphasizing a sense of stability and continuity in their life.
6. Two small people, without dislike or suspicion.
   • Describing the couple as two small individuals who lived together without harboring any dislike or suspicion toward each other.
7. At fourteen I married My Lord you.
   • The speaker reveals that she married her husband, referred to with reverence as “My Lord,” at the age of fourteen.
8. I never laughed, being bashful.
   • Despite being married, the speaker was bashful and reserved, never openly expressing laughter.
9. Lowering my head, I looked at the wall.
   • The speaker describes a demure posture, lowering her head and looking at the wall, indicating a sense of shyness or modesty.
10. Called to, a thousand times, I never looked back.
    • Despite being called to many times, the speaker never looked back, suggesting a reluctance to engage or respond.
11. At fifteen I stopped scowling,
    • The speaker describes a change in her demeanor, specifically, the cessation of scowling, indicating a softening or maturing of her disposition.
12. I desired my dust to be mingled with yours
    • The desire for a profound connection is expressed, with the speaker wishing for her dust (symbolizing her essence or being) to be mingled with her husband’s.
13. Forever and forever, and forever.
    • This repetition emphasizes the speaker’s wish for an eternal union with her husband, suggesting an enduring and everlasting love.
14. Why should I climb the look out?
    • The speaker questions the purpose of climbing the lookout, possibly symbolizing introspection or seeking a broader perspective.
15. At fourteen you went out into far Ku-tō-en,
    • The husband, at the age of fourteen, ventured into far Ku-tō-en, implying a journey or exploration that took him away from the speaker.
16. By the river of swirling eddies,
    • Describing the river with swirling eddies, a feature that becomes significant in the narrative.
17. And you have been gone five months.
    • The husband has been absent for five months, marking a significant passage of time and suggesting a prolonged separation.
18. The monkeys make sorrowful noise overhead.
    • The presence of monkeys making sorrowful noises overhead adds an atmospheric element to the poem, possibly reflecting the speaker’s emotions.
19. You dragged your feet when you went out.
    • Describing the husband’s departure with an image of dragging feet, hinting at a reluctance or heaviness in his departure.
20. By the gate now, the moss is grown,
    • The passage of time is evident as moss has grown by the gate, symbolizing the gradual changes in the landscape during the husband’s absence.
21. The different mosses, too deep to clear them away!
    • The overgrown mosses become an obstacle that is too deep to clear away, symbolizing the accumulation of time and nature’s reclaiming.
22. The leaves fall early this autumn, in wind.
    • Describing the early falling of leaves in autumn, possibly reflecting a sense of melancholy or a premature change.
23. The paired butterflies are already yellow with August
    • The presence of butterflies turning yellow in August symbolizes the changing seasons and the passage of time.
24. Over the grass in the West garden;
    • Describing the movement of butterflies over the grass in the West garden, introducing a visual element to the scene.
25. They hurt me. I grow older.
    • The butterflies, or perhaps the memories they evoke, cause pain to the speaker, who acknowledges the process of growing older.
26. If you are coming down through the narrows of the river Kiang,
    • The speaker addresses the absent husband, contemplating the possibility of his return through the narrows of the river Kiang.
27. Please let me know beforehand,
    • The speaker expresses a desire for advance notice if the husband plans to return, indicating a mix of anticipation and apprehension.
28. And I will come out to meet you As far as Chō-fū-Sa.
    • The speaker promises to meet the husband as far as Chō-fū-Sa, showing eagerness to welcome him back.

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