The Twentieth Canto is a beautiful piece of work. Along with gloriously and beautifully poetic passages, it is also rife with depictions of a man’s (Pound’s?) idyllic life in Europe, interacting with intellectuals, artists, and generally with a crowd of interesting friends. In between are references to Odysseus and to his lover Circe (are these metaphors for the journey of Pound and his contemporaries or “flashbacks” to the ancient world?).

In the sunlight, gate cut by shadow;
And then the faceted air:
Floating. Below, sea churning shingle.
Floating, each on invisible raft