Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Planh for the Young English King" by Ezra Pound captures the profound sense of loss and lamentation over the death of Prince Henry Plantagenet, elder brother to Richard Coeur de Lion. Adapted from the Provencal of Bertrans de Born, the poem enshrines a collective grief felt by society, particularly the cultural and literary circles represented by "liegemen courteous, The joglars supple and the troubadours."

The loss of the "young English King" is framed as a universal tragedy, one that surpasses "all the grief and woe and bitterness" of the "grieving world." This evocation of overwhelming sorrow serves to elevate the young prince to an almost mythical stature. The declaration that "Worth lieth riven and Youth dolorous" paints the picture of a world bereft of virtues, casting a shadow so dense that it seems to extinguish all the light and joy.

A noteworthy aspect is how Pound uses the character of Death as a remorseless chevalier who has wrested away something invaluable. Death is described as "skillful" and "full of bitterness," a conqueror who has managed to take away "the best chevalier" from the world. This characterizes Death not as an impartial force of nature but as a malevolent entity that actively depletes the world of goodness. The prince, who "made the freest hand seem covetous," becomes the unattainable ideal, making every other living person pale in comparison.

Additionally, the poem links the prince's death to a broader sense of cultural and artistic loss. The death leaves the "joglars supple and the troubadours" bereft and adrift. This represents a double tragedy: the literal death of the prince and the metaphorical death of the creative spirit he embodied and inspired. In this, the prince is not merely a political or royal figure; he symbolizes the pinnacle of cultural vitality and humanistic virtues.

The final stanza takes a spiritual turn and petitions the Divine to grant the young king eternal peace "where there is no grief, nor shall be sadness." This plea adds a layer of Christian spirituality to the lament, connecting the transient pains of earthly existence to hopes for ultimate celestial comfort. The supplication is not just for the repose of the prince's soul, but also for humanity to find a higher solace that transcends earthly "bitterness."

Pound masterfully intertwines themes of loss, death, virtue, and art in a single lament for the "young English King," capturing the devastating impact of his death on various aspects of human life. He constructs a compelling narrative that transforms an individual's death into a communal, and almost existential, crisis. The poem serves as a mirror to the human condition: reminding us of our collective vulnerabilities and the irreplaceable value of singular lives. It invites us to reflect on the transient nature of life, the virtues that ennoble it, and the art that immortalizes it.

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