Sestina, Example 1

Sestina: Altaforte
by Ezra PoundLoquitur: En Bertrans de Born. Dante Alighieri put this man in hell for that he was a stirrer-up of strife. Eccovi! Judge ye! Have I dug him up again? The scene is at his castle, Altaforte.
"Papiols" is his jouleur.  "The Leopard," the device of Richard (Coeur de Lion).

I

Damn it all!  all this our South stinks peace.
You whoreson dog, Papiols, come! Let¹s to music!
I have no life save when swords clash.
But ah! when I see the standards gold, vair,purple,opposing
And the broad fields beneath them turn crimson,
Then howel I my heart nigh mad rejoying.

II

In hot summer have I great rejoicing
When tempests kill the earth¹s foul peace,
And the light¹nings from black heav¹n flash crimson,
And the fierce thunders roar me their music
And the winds shriek through the clouds mad, opposing,
And through all the riven God¹s swords clash.

III

Hell grant soon we hear again the swords clash!
And the shrill neighs of destriers in battle rejoicing,
Spiked breast to spiked breast opposing!
Better one hour¹s stour than a year¹s peace
With fat  boards, bawds, wine and frail music!
Bah! there¹s no wine like the blood¹s crimson!

IV

And I love to see the sun rise blood-crimson.
And I watch his spears throught he dark clash
and it fills my heart with rejoycing
And pries wide my mouth with fast music
When I  see him so scorn and defy peace,
His lone might Œgainst all darkmess opposing.

V

The man who fears war and squats opposing
My words for stour, hath no blood of crimson
But it is fit only to rotin womanish peace
Far from where worth¹s won and the swords clash
For the death of sluts I go rejoicing;
Yea, I fill all the air with my music.

VI

Papiols, Papiols, to the music!
There¹s no sound like to swords swords opposing,
No cry like the battle¹s rejoicing
When our elbows and swords drip the crimson
And our charges Œgainst "The Leopard's" rush clash.
May God damn for ever all who cry "Peace!"

VII

And let the music of the swords make them crimson!
Hell grant soon we hear again the swords clash!
Hell blot black for always the thought "Peace"!


Sestina: Altaforte is a poem filled with masculine energy. The speaker regards peace as "womanish," and each time he refers to the idea of peace, it is in a negative context: "May God damn for ever all who cry 'Peace!'" "earth's foul peace," etc. Also intriguing is his use of "music," another repeated word. To the speaker, "music," is not the sweet harmonious sounds one might associate with the word, but the clanging sounds of war. Repition is incredibly important in sestina's, as the last word of each line is repeated in each stanza, in a different order. Here, the words all relate to the theme of war and peace, especially in the context they are in. The imagery of "crimson," a vivid color, brings to mind bloodiness. There is also cacophany found in words like "clash," "crimson," "destoryers," "breast," and others in the piece. Alliteration is seen in the piece, with pairings such as "blot black," "where worth's won," and "boards, bawds."  Elision is also notable in the poem, as seen in stanza six, against is turned to "'gainst." There is also an allusion in the beggining of the poem to Dante's Inferno which is regarded as one of the most concrete literary suggestions of hell.


Here is a dramatic reading of Sestina: Altaforte

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEhgX3e8b4M