The Nation

20 Vesey Street
New York

May 27, 1927.

My dear Mr. Pound:

The first article you
suggest interests us particularly --
that on the "passport imbecility".

We, also, might like the article on the
teaching of literature tho it sounds as
tho it would probably be too long for
our few pages. Why don't you let us
see several things which seem to you in
our line, giving us an address to which
we may send anything which we cannot make
a place for?

We are glad to know you have us in mind.

Mr. Ezra Pound,
Via Marsala, 12 Int.5,
Rapallo, Italy.

The Nation

20 Vesey Street
New York

Feb. 6, 1928.

Dear Mr. Pound:

After long delays that article
of yours called, "The Cultural Failure
of America" is being done something with.
I have just seen it and enjoyed reading
it, and you will hear in a few days when
and how Mr. Villard wants us to run it.
We very much appreciate having something
from you.

Another thing. I am preparing
an anthology which will consist chiefly
of translations from foreign poetry.
And of course I shall want to plunder you
not only for some of your own poems but
for some of your translations. I wonder
how you will feel about that. And I
wonder also whether you might have
knowledge of some particularly fine trans-
lations from any language whatever that
I wouldn't know about. If there is
something you will damn me for missing,
won't you be so good as to let me know
now?

Mr. Ezra Pound,
via Marsala 12, Int. 5,
Rapallo, Italy.

50 West 9th Street
New York City
March 9, 1928

Dear Mr. Pound:

Thank you for an interesting letter, one part of which -- that referring to the *Nation* article on culchah -- I can answer here by saying that the sentence you want put in will be put in if the printer can be induced at this late date to make room for it.

As to the anthology, it is the one I suppose that Boni once asked you to do. Anyway he has asked me to do one, and it seems to be it. It is to be in one volume only, and will endeavor to gather in the best translations / obtainable of poems from about fourteen languages, from Chinese to Swedish. No translation will go in unless it is highly readable as English, and wherever possible a poem in itself. There will be no attempt to be "complete", that is, to represent all those poets and poieties simply because they are important at home. Only good stuff.

Not to go in for flattery, that last is why I wrote you. I found so many good things by you from the Chinese, the Provençal, the French, the Spanish, and the German (Heine) that I became alarmed. Just how many poems I shall eventually ask for (and of course pay for) I don't know -- perhaps it won't be such a ghastly number (Oh yes, I forgot / your Propertius) after all, but at any rate I'll send you the list, and send it at the same time to your publishers.

Thank you for your various suggestions, many of which I had already followed up. And I'll ask my sister-in-law to let me see those articles she has at the *Tribune*.

The Nation

20 Vesey Street
New York

September 7, 1928.

Dear Mr. Pound:

I haven't a doubt that your kick is justified, as most kicks are. The trouble is that The Nation has so many private and personal kicks in which it is interested that it is hard to find enough shins on which to plant them. Your kick just doesn't happen to be one of our private and personal ones, and so I am returning your article to you with the hope and belief that you will find somebody else who will be delighted to print it.

Mr. Ezra Pound,
Rapallo,
Via Marsala,
Italy.

The Nation

20 Vesey Street
New York

August 7, 1928

Dear Mr. Pound:

I have read several times your long and
interesting letter, in an effort to work out some scheme
whereby we may get a poem from you for the Poetry Quartos.
In the first place, let me say that Random House is a
good house. I think it will endure. Anyhow, it is at
present printing some of the best looking and most in-
teresting books being published in America. From the
point of view of appearance its work is unquestionably
fine. They'll do well by you.

In the second place, they now say that
they are willing to pay $50.00 for first rights. That
is some better than $35.00, though doubtless not as
high as it ought to be. As for the poem itself, I hope
that you will have anotheranto of your long poem which
will be available for our use. Random House won't want
to print one which has already appeared elsewhere. They
want first rights. After that you can dispose of it
or republish it anywhere you please. It is just as if a
magazine published it first. Have you anotheranto, and
if so may we have it?

I quite understand that you couldn't write
poems of specified length or to order, but within the
rather broad limits of 40 to 100 lines, it seemed to me
possible that you might already have something on hand or
in the making. I feel quite sure that a Canto would serve
our purposes better than a collection of fragments -- even
though the fragments are "veracious obscenities." I feel
certain that they will want something that will go through
the mails. All in all, I hope you will have at least
the "detached piece of Canto" which you suggest in the
last part of your letter. I think they will have to have
it within the next month or so, but it won't be out until
late in the fall, perhaps just before Christmas.

There are to be 12 quartos in the series.
Among the other poets who have already accepted are:
Robert Frost, Vachel Lindsay, Conrad Aiken, Louis Unter-
meyer, William Rose Benet, and Christopher Morley.

If you can cable me yes or no, do so.
If you find the matter too complicated for a cable,
write me; but the publishers are panting for results.
If you write, I can only hope that you will be able to
enclose a Canto or another poem with your letter.

Please return to
E.P.

The Nation

20 Vesey Street
New York

June 28, 1928.

Dear Mr. Round:

You asked ten dollars apiece for your poems and I am prepared to pay that. But I assume that the money is to go through the various publishers who hold copyright. This letter is simply to say that in case there is any hitch with any of the publishers I am ready to make it good. Liveright asked me only five dollars apiece for the poems he held. I am telling him you want ten.

And incidentally, I find that I neglected to tell you that I took "Alta Innominata" also. But that is being taken care of by the publishers along with the rest.

I hear that you saw Joe Krutch in Austria and that he enjoyed the occasion. I hope you did too, since he is a good man.

Mr. Ezra Round,
via Marsla 12, Int. B,
Rapallo, Italy.

Edtr. "ation :

In reviewing my " Antheil ", Mr Haggin MAKES one hit, and I am quite ready to emend the error by inserting the words here set in italics sic: " Mozart's intention <ins>as understood by</ins> WZ6 the best editors of his work . "

For the rest the review is a prize
example avoiding the point of a book and of trying
where possible to misunderstand it. Can you for
example find ( even in the life of Andy Mellon )
a better example instance of obscurantism than that
of yr. reviewer where he says that time is an
" element of the finished musical speech that must
be left 29/7/76//29109134/1131 to the composer and
the critio . "

What does this answer ? Does it mean
or student of composition
that the intending composer is not to be told
to consider this " element ", or that I as critio
am to refrain from introducing the so unsavory topic ?
your reviewers

As for the other, I can but suppose
voluntary distortions of comparatively clear statement.
I can only refer the reader to the original text.
Several people have already understood some of my
statements, with pre-arranged conspiratorial effort on
my part.

yours in docility