Hello Grail Grumblers -
I hope you have enjoyed my poem, The Waste Land, which was heavily inspired by Miss Jessie Weston's From Ritual to Romance. (I'm sure you are all familiar with her by now.) Her work regarding the Grail legend has fascinated me for quite some time now, especially the connections she makes between ancient fertility rituals and the legend of the Grail where she discusses the relationship between the land and it's rulers and/or inhabitants. She also asserts that the lance and cup, often assumed to be "holy", Christian symbols are actually representations of male and female fertility parts. Grail stories, especially those with the Fisher King and the Waste Land, are particularly relatable to Miss Weston's theories.
After spending much time reading Miss Weston's work, it naturally became something I often thought about, especially during the time I was writing The Waste Land. Obviously, the title was taken straight from Grail legend - as well as inspiration for some of the characters, with a Weston-esque focus on many ideas within the poem. All around me, since the end of this war, I see an infertile and maimed land. A land that cannot support it's people or, with the changing of the seasons, the people's expectations that renewal is possible. It is terribly depressing, to say the least.
Besides what was going on in the external world, my internal world has just as much turmoil. My marriage is utterly stressful in that, essentially "I came to persuade myself that I was in love with Vivienne simply because I wanted to burn my boats and commit myself to staying in England." Regarding my poem which you have just read, I have a slight confession to make in it's connection with my marriage. "To [Vivienne], the marriage brought no happiness. To me, it brought the state of mind out of which came The Waste Land." (A more detailed explanation would be entirely inappropriate, however I am sure you are all well versed enough in the relations between men and women to understand what I am getting at.)
I hope this confession does not terribly disappoint any of you - as you may have been misled in thinking the poem was overwhelmingly about the Grail legend. To be honest, I needed to create a facade for my poem, in order for it to be shared. Vivienne helped edit it, along with my dear friend Ezra Pound, and as a result, much of the poem (over half its original length) was cut out, simply because it was too personally revealing (especially for Vivienne). The version before you is only a small glimpse into my state of mind and the state of London at the time. Know that it is difficult for me to understand - even as the creator - so do not become frustrated if understanding feels just beyond your reach.
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I feel sadness in my heart for you Mr. Eliot, for the feeling of a disasterous marriage is all too familiar to me still. I read your poem Wasteland and was struck with a feeling of anewness. In my land we did not have poems such like yours, so full of unusual words and phrases and images that fill the quiet head with so many different things. I do thank you sincerely for writing such a wondrous piece of literature.
As for your troubles with Vivienne,a marriage will not work if not there be a true bond of mutual love between both man and wife. It does not seem that your heart was in the right place when you two became wed, but staying in a mess of a relatonship would not be prudent. Naught good will come of it, something must be done! To sever yourself from a spouse is hard, but it can be done. I had to forget all about my husband Matholwch when his people exiled me from his chamber and forced upon me a harsh life of labor and daily punishment. To be in truth, I never wanted to wed Matholwch; it just came to be that I would be the treaty of peace between his country and mine. That was just the way of my land.
Inspired by your poem Wasteland, I have decided to teach my starling how to recite it, so that she can spread the word of your work. The thunder sound effects are hard for such birds to learn (that DA sound? impossible for my little starling dear to chirp, it comes out more like a 'deeee') I am sure the result will sound lovely.
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