And the days are not full enough
And the nights are not full enough
And life slips by like a field mouse
Not shaking the grass.
Ezra Pound (1885-1972) – Lustra (1916)
This poem says a lot about the transience of life in a few, simple words.
It starts with the word “and” to sound like the conclusion of a speech, of a thought or rumination that has been going on for some time.
The careful use of repetition and parallelism in the first two lines reproduces the monotony of day after day life, and prepares for the change in the last lines. The words “not full enough” suggest that we do not use life to its full potential: our days could be spent more fruitfully.
Then, suddenly, we realize life is too short to be relied upon, it never gives us all the time to be and do what we want to. This is achieved through the only image of the poem which draws reference to nature and a mouse, and illustrates how fleeting life is: it quickly “slips by“, as insignificant and irrelevant as that of a mouse.
Therefore, we should make use of life to its full potential and of our time wisely: life is to be enjoyed and lived in every moment.

E i giorni non sono abbastanza pieni
e le notti non sono abbastanza piene
e la vita scivola via come un topo di campagna
che non fa muovere l’erba.
Molto bella. Ezra Pound fu aspramente criticato per anni e ora, finalmente, accolto come poeta senza pregiudizi.
Grazie Luisa.
Buon fine settimana.
Mi muovo tra casa e studio per disegnare , passando tra i box.
Questo cambio di casa, solo pochi anni fa, per fare “casa e bottega”, in questo tempo lo penso come un fatto provvidenziale!
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Sì, è proprio la sistemazione più appropriata in questo momento difficile. Ti auguro una felice giornata, Augusta cara
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🙋🏼♀️🙏🏻😊❤️
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Ho condiviso il tuo articolo del 31 marzo. mi sono permessa. mi piaceva molto.
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Hai fatto benissimo e te ne ringrazio,
Penso che il reblogging sia uno dei complimenti più belli e apprezzabili da ricevere da un amico 🙏 😘 🙏
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Oh yes dear Luisa, to know it “slips by” like a mouse. True! and thanks for bringing up this from such a great poetess. 🙏💖
PS: you know, nowadays a famous minister in Germany had been suddenly died, he was in the same age as I am; 66 and was fit and healthy as I am! 😜 we must enjoy every moment of our life. 💖
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I haven’t heard yet! I’m so sorry for him
While translating the poem into Italian, I thought about its meaning and told myself that unfortunately in this period I am not enjoying life, since we are on a sort of standby, and in the meantime life “slips by”
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I understand absolutely, but in fact, you have the word; slips away, that’s it. 🙏💖😘
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I had never read this wonderful poem before. I love his field mouse simile for life. Brava!
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Oh yes, I think it’s a great analogy
Have a nice day!
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I do think time slips by unawares and not shaking the grass. Good post!
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Unfortunately it is so, especially in this period when everything seems suspended, and in the meantime life slips away
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A wonderful poem! Yes, life is fleeting for sure. Roger Waters also writes about it in the Pink Floyd song “Time”.
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That’s a great song 🎶🙏🎶💜🎶
Thank you for your nice comment
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È bellissima
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Sì, lo penso anch’io! Buon pomeriggio, Paola
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Great poem! And breath taking photo below
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Thank you! I’m happy to hear that you liked Pound’s poem as well as my photo
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Ezra Pound. The controversial political life he embraced sometimes overshadow the beauty and simplicity of his poetry. As in art, sometimes, it is the few simple lines that can express such magnitude of emotion. It is a rare genius that can express such complexity of thought in such simple lines. Good choice Luisa.
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I totally agree with you: his political views have often overshadowed the power of his poetry.
I’m glad you appreciated this post and I thank you for your precious comment
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Green
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Great – and so true – Merci Luisa – amitiés
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Merci beaucoup, France et bise et une douce et souriante soirée à toi.
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Ezro Pound un poeta moolto controvverso.
Serena serata
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Sì, soprattutto per le sue tendenze politiche, per cui fu processato per tradimento e se la cavò con una diagnosi (contestata) di incapacità, per cui fu rinchiuso per dodici anni in un manicomio
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Ricordavo questi dettagli e da qui il senso di controverso.
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🍁☘🌹
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This is so true. In the past few months it feels like the days are just blurring into one another barely getting any semblance of the beginning and end of the day. Only recently when I inserted nee things that give me life into my routine that everything made more sense.
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What a beautiful reflection!
The same thing is happening to me too, since the threat of Covid is preventing me from doing everything I had previously loved doing. In the past my days were also marked by some social commitments that I had to abolish
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[…] “And the days are not full enough,” a reflection on Ezra Pound’s poem of the same name, by Luisa Zambrotta via Words And […]
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Thank you so much!🙏❤️ 🌹
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Maybe Pound was referencing Robert Burns’ poem “To a Mouse” in those last two lines. It’s the origin of the phrase “The best laid plans of mice and men”.
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You’re right, I didn’t think about that!
Thanks for suggesting it
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