Ezra Pound's Meditatio Meditatio

When I carefully consider the curious habits of Dogs

I am compelled to conclude

That man is the superior animal.

When I consider the curious habits of man

I confess, my friend, I am puzzled.

As one of the fathers of literary modernism, Ezra Pound reacted to classicism and romanticism and, in the poem, Meditatio, expresses the conflict between individual identity and the bestial nature of humankind. In fact, it is the social issue of what it means to be human that this poem epitomizes - what even the definition of human and human causality might be, and in particular, the nature of humanity when compared to one of the classic symbols of human unity -- canus familiarias, the dog.

There are several levels of conflict within this short poem. First, Pound tells us in the title that this is a "meditation." In other words, this is not simply a description, but something emotional and psychologically invested that is a puzzlement -- but important enough to consider from all angles. Second, there is the mystery and conflict of what it means to be human, or a dog -- in the context of early 20th century definitions. Third, we wonder at what habits Pound hints when he asks us to consider dogs and humans? And finally, the more metaphysical aspect of the entire poem -- why is the author contemplating humans and dogs? What makes this a viable comparison, and what is it that has caused Pound to reconsider humanity?

Meditation is not just thought, it is not just random imaging, but a way of

Pound's use of the word implies that this discussion about humans is vital to his own understanding of himself and the lives of others. Instead of being an academic approach to the quantitative analysis of an issue, meditation about a topic implies that there really is no quantitative truth, but simply a problem in which there may actually be no answer, but only a series of additional contemplative questions. In this way, Pound is telling us to be mindful of what he is contemplating; perhaps giving us a hint to look beyond the expected and find what is not always apparent.
The idea of being human has, of course, puzzled philosophers for centuries. By beginning the poem with the phrase about dogs, though, Pound is telling the reader that there are symbols of how humans view dogs. Prior to the 20th century and the hyper-personalization of dogs, they were seen more as loyal companions -- working animals, bred from wolves to please their masters and be part of the hunt or herding. Dogs have been valued in society for what they bring to society -- and perhaps what the refrain from adding? Our hint, in this case, is the phrase "the curious habits of dogs." What does this mean? What are these habits? Dogs are typically blindly loyal, trustworthy, protective, they come when called, they seem to take abuse but give back love, and unless specifically trained to fight or be aggressive, are not generally so. Perhaps Pound is saying that when he contemplates how dogs do not judge, how they form rapid and long-lasting bonds, and how they prefer to serve than be served -- he initially…