Sunday, January 15, 2012

In the line, "Through which in quiet pomp his litter goes,..." What does it mean?

The eyelids meet. He'll catch a little nap.

The grizzled, crew-cut head drops to his chest.

It shakes above the briefcase on his lap.

Close voices breathe, "Poor sweet, he did his best."



"Poor sweet, poor sweet," the bird-hushed glades repeat,

Through which in quiet pomp his litter goes,

Carried by native girls with naked feet.

A sighing stream concurs in his repose.



Could he but think, he might recall to mind

The righteous mutiny or sudden gale

That beached him here; the dear ones left behind ...

So near the ending, he forgets the tale.



Were he to lift his eyelids now, he might

Behold his maiden porters, brown and bare.

But even here he has no appetite.

It is enough to know that they are there.



Enough that now a honeyed music swells,

The gentle, mossed declivities begin,

And the whole air is full of flower-smells.

Failure, the longed-for valley, takes him in.



-- Richard Wilbur



I have to summarize every line... and i'm stuck on this one... Help!

In the line, "Through which in quiet pomp his litter goes,..." What does it mean?
umph, "respectfully in silence" is right, but a litter is not a coffin. It's a man-carried vehicle used to carry people. Well, hardly used at all any more, but in ancient Rome, or say, some primitive society like the one he's imagining, it might be used, especially for a wealthy or prestigious person.
Reply:His coffin is carried respectfully in silence.

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