Poetry: The Lost Leader

In a whimsical mood, Poet Randall Jarrell once conjured up a vision of the muse of poetry as a kind of fairy godmother "who says to the poet, after her colleagues have showered on him the most disconcerting and ambiguous gifts, 'Well, never mind. You're still the only one who can write poetry.' "

Of all modern poets, Ezra Pound, who died at 87 in Venice last week, caught the heavenly benefactors in the most contrary of moods. Few literary figures in history have stirred such admiration, affection and gratitude among fellow artists. But...

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