The influence of the Chinese ideogram on Ezra Pound’s cathay

Abstract

Ezra pound is among the most important poets of world literature in the twentieth century. His influence on English poetry, especially on T. S. Eliot was very great. His name is associated with the school of poetry called Imagism. Cathay is a volume of his translations from the Chinese which reveals the Chinese poetry. Chinese verse lends itself especially to the imagist treatment because of the visual nature of the Chinese ideogram. Ezra Pound was successful in translating the Chinese image in Cathay.