Canto VII Principles Quotes

Comparing himself to the classic poet Dante Alighieri, Pound claims here that the stuff he's talking about isn't just a bunch of random literary references thrown together for no reason. Instead, he's telling us that there's a hidden order to all of the sparks that fly off from his poetry. It's our job, however, to figure out what the connections are. Pound won't do it for us.

As he wanders through life looking for beauty, Pound finds himself following the lead of the Italian poet Sordello, whose "slow and honest eyes" and domed head lead the way whenever Pound feels lost. In other words, Pound looks to poets from hundreds of years ago to inspire himself whenever the modern world is getting him down.

When it comes to symbolizing the principles behind his Cantos project, Pound draws on the image of knocking at empty rooms and hoping to hear an answer from the principle of beauty itself. Knocking at empty rooms could refer to reading classic literary texts, but it could also symbolize Pound's attempts to find people in the modern world who can appreciate beauty in the same way he does.