Bootie Call at Cho-fu-Sa
"The River-Merchant's Wife: A Letter," by Ezra Pound is not only a letter
from a woman to her husband, but is also a narrative of a young woman's sex life. It tells of a rive
r merchant's wife's feelings on sex throughout her life and marriage. It also shows how her views ch
ange with time and circumstances. The poem starts with her early childhood, and then goes quickly in
to marriage, and ends when her husband has to go away on business. Never once does the poem mention
love, but it does elude to the fact that sex is better when some feeling is involved.
Line one and
two of the first stanza state, "While my hair was still cut straight across my forehead / I played a
bout the front gate, pulling flowers" (1-2). The straight bangs and flowers are representing the you
th, innocence, and purity of the still single narrator. The narrator also views the rest of the worl
d and her husband-to-be through this innocence: "You came by on bamboo stilts, playing horse, / You
walked about my seat, playing with blue plums" (3-4). These lines seem to paint a picture of a very
carefree childhood and a detachment from the ways of the world. The narrator shows no feelings of lo
ve, lust, or even moderate attraction to the boy other than the innocent and simple companionship of
childhood when she goes on to say, "And we went on living in the village of Chokan: / Two small peo
ple, without dislike or suspicion" (5-6). It is apparent that the narrator is happy with her own mic
rocosm. Her innocence prevents her from thinking that anything exists outside of her world of flower
s and blue plums. In her world sex does not even exist.
The breech of her innocence comes soon in t
he second stanza: "At fourteen I married My Lord you" (7). Once again there is no mention of love, a
nd in this time period her mate was probably chosen for her. Additionally, the usage of "My Lord you
" connotes undesirable obligations to her husband, such as sex, which until previously, did not even
exist. Being only fourteen in the early 1900s and coming from her own oblivious world, it is safe t
o assume that sex was still taboo to the river merchant's young wife. The poem expresses that taking
part in the act of sex was embarrassing to her: "I never laughed, being bashful" (8). The next two
lines of the poem also deal with her embarrassment, "Lowering my head, I looked at the wall. / Calle
d to, a thousand times, I never looked back" (9-10). Here she admits that she could not even look at
her husband during sex, nor answer his cries of pleasure.
The third stanza begins a year after her
marriage, and sex is becoming more tolerable: "At fifteen I stopped scowling" (11). It seems that s
he is actually starting to enjoy sex when she says, "I desired my dust to me mingled with yours / Fo
rever and forever and forever" (12-13)."Forever and forever and forever" clearly shows that she has
developed a fondness for her husband, his sex, or both, which could possibly be love. According to t
he poem, she developed these affections at the same time, suggesting sex and love are relative and c
an be improved with time. The poem again indicates a change in her attitude towards sex when she say
s, "Why should I climb the look out?" (14). This line indicates that she feels that she should not b
e doing all the work. She might as well enjoy sex since it is going to happen to her anyway.
A year
later, the narrator's husband leaves on business. The fourth stanza tells of her husband's leaving:
"At sixteen you departed, / You went into far Ku-to-yen, by the river of swirling eddies" (15-16).
The tone of the next line, "And you have been gone five months" (17), points to some sorrow on the p
art of the speaker. She really does have feelings for her husband now, whether they be physical or e
motional, and misses him. The next line, "The monkeys make sorrowful noise overhead" (18), supports
this idea. In the fifth stanza, she continues on the same theme of missing her husband, but for the
first time the poem also speaks a little of the river merchant's feelings: "You dragged your feet wh
en you went out" (19). Her speaking of her husband's feelings shows more of an intimate connection t
o him. The poem goes back to sex in the next few lines, "By the gate now, the moss is grown, the dif
ferent mosses, / To deep to clear them away!" (20-21). She is basically saying that her womanhood ha
s not been touched in quite some time. The river merchant's wife is not pleased with this, and is sc
ared that her time is running out: "The leaves fall early this autumn, in wind" (22). This literally
states that autumn is already starting, but the picture of the leaves falling seems almost forebodi
ng. When she starts talking of butterflies and childish things again, "The paired butterflies are al
ready yellow with August / Over the grass in the West garden;" (23-24), it seems as though the river
merchant's wife is returning to her previous, innocent ways. The next line throws an ironic curve h
owever, when she says, "They hurt me. I grow older" (25), totally rebuking the purity of summer prev
iously suggested. There is only one explanation for a woman claiming to be hurt by butterflies: she
is sex-starved, and she is afraid of the fact that she is getting old - too old for good sex.
Pound
's poem, a seemingly innocent letter from a wife to her husband, is nothing but a good old-fashioned
bootie call. At the beginning of the poem, the narrator is an innocent girl playing in the daisies
who does not even know what sex is. By the end of the poem she is a sex-starved, bitter woman who ha
tes butterflies. She goes through a complete in only three years. The last four lines of the poem ma
ke it all too clear:
If you are coming down through the narrows of the river Kiang,
Please let me
know beforehand,
And I will come out to meet you
As far as Cho-fu-Sa. (26-29)
She would go all th
e way to Cho-fu-Sa to get a little bootie.
bootie call river merchant wife letter ezra pound only
letter from woman husband also narrative young woman life tells river merchant wife feelings through
out life marriage also shows views change with time circumstances poem starts with early childhood t
hen goes quickly into marriage ends when husband away business never once does poem mention love doe
s elude fact that better when some feeling involved line first stanza state while hair still straigh
t across forehead played about front gate pulling flowers straight bangs flowers representing youth
innocence purity still single narrator narrator also views rest world husband through this innocence
came bamboo stilts playing horse walked about seat playing with blue plums these lines seem paint p
icture very carefree childhood detachment from ways world narrator shows feelings love lust even mod
erate attraction other than innocent simple companionship childhood when goes went living village ch
okan small people without dislike suspicion apparent that happy microcosm innocence prevents from th
inking that anything exists outside world flowers blue plums does even exist breech comes soon secon
d stanza fourteen married lord once again there mention love this time period mate probably chosen a
dditionally usage lord connotes undesirable obligations such which until previously even exist being
only fourteen early coming oblivious safe assume still taboo river merchant young wife poem express
es taking part embarrassing never laughed being bashful next lines deal embarrassment lowering head
looked wall called thousand times never looked back here admits could look during answer cries pleas
ure third stanza begins year after marriage becoming more tolerable fifteen stopped scowling seems a
ctually starting enjoy says desired dust mingled yours forever forever forever clearly shows develop
ed fondness both which could possibly according developed these affections same time suggesting rela
tive improved again indicates change attitude towards says should climb look this line indicates fee
ls should doing work might well enjoy since going happen anyway year later leaves business fourth te
lls leaving sixteen departed went into swirling eddies tone next line have been gone five months poi
nts some sorrow part speaker really have feelings whether they physical emotional misses next monkey
s make sorrowful noise overhead supports idea fifth continues same theme missing first speaks little
dragged your feet went speaking more intimate connection goes back lines gate moss grown different
mosses deep clear them away basically saying womanhood been touched quite some pleased scared runnin
g leaves fall early autumn wind literally states autumn already starting picture leaves falling seem
s almost foreboding starts talking butterflies childish things again paired butterflies already yell
ow august over grass west garden seems though returning previous innocent ways throws ironic curve h
owever says they hurt grow older totally rebuking purity summer previously suggested there only expl
anation woman claiming hurt butterflies starved afraid fact getting good pound seemingly innocent le
tter nothing good fashioned bootie call beginning girl playing daisies know what starved bitter hate
s through complete three years last four make clear coming down through narrows kiang please know be
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