Salutation



O generation of the thoroughly smug
      and thoroughly uncomfortable,
I have seen fishermen picnicking in the sun,
I have seen them with untidy families,
I have seen their smiles full of teeth
      and heard ungainly laughter.
And I am happier than you are,
And they were happier than I am;
And the fish swim in the lake
      and do not even own clothing.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 03, 2023

19 sec read
890

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABCDEFFGHI
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 358
Words 65
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 10

Ezra Pound

 · 1885 · Hailey, Idaho
 · 1972 · Venice

Ezra Weston Loomis Pound was an American expatriate poet and critic of the early modernist movement. more…

All Ezra Pound poems | Ezra Pound Books

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"Salutation" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 17 Mar. 2025. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/13334/salutation>.

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A brief and intentional reference to a historical, mythological, or literary person, place, event, or movement is called a _______.
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