THE WASTE LAND

A BRIEF INTRODUCTION
T.S. Eliots The Waste Land is one of the most outstanding
poems of the 20th century. It has been hailed as Eliots
masterpiece - the supreme triumph of the poetic art in modern
times. Yet some critics have railed against it as an abstract
ambiguous and highly over-rated poem. This controversy does
not ho!ever distract from the overall merits of the poem and
the aura of "greatness" that still surrounds it.
It is a poem !ritten in the epic mold of such classic !or#s as
$antes Divine Comedy especially the first part i.e. Hell/
Inferno. Eliots poem though has a fragmentary %uality about it.
This is symbolic of the aridity and decadence of modern !estern
civili&ation as !ell as the poets o!n inner despair at the desolate
prospect of the post-'orld 'ar I era its chaos and frustration.
This startling poem presents a veritable labyrinth of meanings
and messages for our turbulent times. Eliots use of comple(
symbols and intricate imagery adds richness and variety to the
te(ture of the poem. It is replete !ith lu(uriant allusions to myth
ritual religion history - both past and present. This ma#es the
poem itself a virtual "!aste land" or %uagmire through !hich any
aspiring reader must cautiously !ade if s)he !ishes to absorb the
essence of its meaning or significance.
Eliot uses a novel poetic techni%ue in this comple( poem. *e
presents a %uic# succession of brilliant images in almost
cinematic or #aleidoscopic fashion. These eclectic flashes are
dra!n from both past and present life. They include a !ide range
of socio-cultural religious and secular e(periences common to
both an individual life and the collective life of 'estern society
from ancient times right do!n to the present. These electrifying
images da&&le not +ust the readers eye but also his)her mind.
In brief then T. S. Eliots The Waste Land is a truly remar#able
poem that bro#e ne! ground in English poetry !hen it !as first
published and continues to engage our ama&ement.
STRUCTURE OF THE POEM
The Waste Land is a highly comple( poem organi&ed on the
principle of a five part symphony. It opens !ith a compelling
epigraph !hich serves as a "leitmotif" to the !hole poem. This
epigraph introduces the ancient prophetess the Sibyl of ,umae
and her fatal utterance of a death !ish. This prophecy sets the
tone for The Waste Land as a poem that focuses sharply on the
deadness and utter sterility of modern civili&ation post-'orld
'ar I Europe Eliot felt !as on the verge of total. ,ollapse due
to its spiritual intellectual and psychological e(haustion. This
central theme lin#s up the various parts of the poem.
The entire poem is !or#ed in the pattern of a collage an art form
popular in the -.20s %uote Eliots o!n phrase in /art I the
poem presents "a heap of bro#en images." *o!ever the poet is
careful to ensure that these "bro#en images" add up to the sum
total of the desolate !aste land scenario !hich is the dominant
symbol of the poem. This !aste land is pro+ected in different
!ays - as a physical natural desert as !ell as a socio-cultural
intellectual and moral !aste land.
Thus in /art I there are recurrent images of a dry sterile
landscape - a "dead land" !ith barren roc#s dead trees "stony
rubbish" "dry tubers" "dull roots" and "roots that clutch." These
images are scattered over the t!o opening segments of Tiresias
commentary. Else!here in /arts I III and 0 there is the image
of the "1nreal ,ity" !hich runs intermittently through the poem.
In /art III the undoing of the Thames 2aidens by "the loitering
heirs of city directors" is reinforced by the e%ually sordid
pictures of S!eeney patroni&ing 2rs. /orters ba!dy-house or
the encounter bet!een the typist and cler# in a seedy 3ondon
flat. There are several other instances of recurrent imagery that
reinforces the structure of The Waste Land ma#ing it an
artistically composite piece.
4esides the unifying sensibility of Tiresias the protagonist of
the poem helps the reader to put the !hole poem into proper
perspective. $espite being blind he "sees" and #no!s all.
Through his all-inclusive consciousness Tiresias blends together
disparate scenes events and personalities ancient and modern
religious and secular mythical and real. *is perceptions cut
across the boundaries of historical time geographical location
and gender biases. Eliot uses this blind prophet-narrator as a
strategic device to hold the poem together structurally.
5nother unifying principle underlying the poem is Eliots
elaborate use of the grail legend and the fertility myths of ancient
Egypt 5sia 2inor 6reece and even oriental regions li#e India.
This is a very subtle structural device !oven ine(tricably into
the fabric of the poem to give it a fine unity. *ere Eliot !as
indebted to the !or#s of t!o famous anthropologists of his time7
2s. 8essie 'estons From Ritual to Romance 9-.20: and Sir
8ames ;ra&ers The Golden Bough 9-.-<:.
=ight through the five parts of the poem there are also
references to the maimed ;isher >ing of ?orth European myths
!hose land is rendered !aste as its #ing suffers a fatal !ound or
disease. *is #ingdom and people can be saved only if a virtuous
and courageous #night goes in guest of a sacred ob+ect li#e
,hrists *oly-6rail 9the cup used at ,hrists last supper:. In the
pre-,hristian vegetation myths also sacrificing a young !arrior
to 6od by dro!ning decapitation or burning could only restore
the fertility of the land. Such legends abound in ancient Egypt
and 5sia 2inor about sacrificial victims of fertility cults such as
5donis 5ttis and @siris.
Ironically The Waste Land is also a pastiche of literary %uotes
and erudite references. The poem is liberally sprin#led !ith
secular and religious figures dra!n from history literature the
4ible or the sacred *indu scriptures. Their sole purpose is to
reinforce either the pro+ection of the !aste land scenario or to
bring in the theme of redemption through a spiritual %uest. These
rather dis+ointed and seemingly disparate allusions are s#illfully
blended into the te(ture of the poem to provide a not-so-easily-
discernible artistic unity. Yet it is certainly there and a tribute to
Eliots s#ill in constructing his poem. Every discerning reader
must marvel at the !ay Eliot controls and masters such
seemingly intractable materials dra!n from so many diverse
sources.
Thus the structure of The Waste Land is vastly different from
conventional discursive poetry. It is !ritten !ith a #ind of
cinematic techni%ue of flashbac#s free&e-shots and stills. It also
employs the 8oyce an "stream of consciousness" mode used in
8oyces novel lysses 9-.20:. 4esides The Waste Land o!es
much to the Symbolist and Imagist techni%ues of contemporary
5nglo-European poets such as ,harles 4audelaire 8ules
3aforgue and E&ra pound. 5 combination of these myriad
factors gives to the structure of The Waste Land its "unity in
diversity."
SYNOPSIS OF THE POEM (and its < parts)
The Waste Land is not a narrative poem and hence it is not fair to
the nature of the poem to try and summari&e it. In fact the poem
resists any attempt at synopsis. *o!ever it may be possible to
give the gist or essence of this contemporary epic by e(amining
the general organi&ation of the poem and its < parts. In fact its <
part structure has led some critics to vie! it as a symphonic
poem +ust as his later !or# The Four !uartets 9-.AB-C2: !as
seen as having a form analogous to a 4eethoven Sonata or four-
part string %uartet. Some have even visuali&ed The Waste Land
as a five-part dramatic monologue or as a long and "interesting
piece of grumbling" Tiresias !ith as chief protagonist or
commentator on all the events scenes and personalities of the
poem.
In /art I "The 4urial of the $ead" Eliot first depicts the stirring
of life in the land !ith the coming of spring. *o!ever in the
contemporary !aste land of !estern civili&ation !e see only a
"dead land" filled !ith "stony rubbish". *ere "the sun beats"
mercilessly do!n !hile "the dead tree gives no shelter ... and the
dry stone no sound of !ater."
4esides these opening sections also convey a sense of vague
dread and apprehension in several characters depicted in
different emotionally sterile situations. These include the e(iled
3ithuanian aristocrat ,ountess 2arie as !ell as the *yacinth
girl and her last lover. 5 charlatan fortune-teller 2adam
Sosostris further adds to this lac# of comprehension and human
understanding. *er rather enigmatic and incomprehensible
predictions seem to ma#e some sense only much later in the
poem 9/arts I0 to 0:.
/art I concludes !ith a grim picture of an "1nreal ,ity" such as
modern-day 3ondon. It is a dreary place !here people lead a
purely mechanical and monotonous e(istence. There does not
seem to be any !ay out for them from this sterile urban
landscape !here materialism hypocrisy and total unconcern
have made the city populace part of the "living dead."
/art II is entitled7 "5 6ame of ,hess" and presents t!o
contrasting scenes that e(pose the essential emptiness and
loneliness of peoples lives in big cities li#e 3ondon. It opens
!ith the splendors of a palatial bedroom and its boudoir meant
for a fashionable lady of high society.
This =ich lady of Situations is compared to ,leopatra but she
suffers the characteristic "ennui" and boredom of the modern
"idle rich class." She seems caught in a loveless marriage !ith a
rather cold and distant plutocratic husband. *er constant fears
and inane %uestions sho! her neurotic state of an(iety. The
second scene of /art II is set in a pub or bar !here t!o !or#ing
!omen of the poorer coc#ney class in East 3ondon discuss the
plight of a mutual friend 3il. *er husband 5lbert is about to
come home from the !ar front. *e has already saddled her !ith
five #ids and may no! give her a si(th un!anted child. The
over-fecund 3il dreads the idea of having more children as her
earlier pregnancies have left her physically drained out and
emotionally e(hausted. Thus there is uneasiness and despair
even in the life of the poor over!or#ed 3il.
/art III "The ;ire Sermon" e(plores the theme of se(ual
indulgence and the conse%uent dissipation or dissatisfaction
!hen +aded lovers burn in the fires of lust. It con+ures up a dreary
picture of the ugliness of modern cities the mechani&ation of
modern life and the palling of human emotions. Eliot travels in
time from 3ord 4uddhas fire sermon and St. 5ugustines
",onfessions" about his heady youthful passions and then do!n
to the present day. *ere the poet e(poses human brings and their
so called noble aspirations for a better life of the spirit as being
constantly negated by their o!n !ea#ness that permits them to
indulge in selfish pleasures and purely sensual appetites.
/art I0 is the shortest of the five parts. "$eath by 'ater"
describes ho! the body of the dro!ned /hoenician merchant
sailor slo!ly decomposes after he is dro!ned at sea. *e seems to
have been concerned only !ith material prosperity in life - "the
profit and the loss." 5t the end of his life he has apparently
achieved nothing. This brief lyric suggests ironically that !ater
can be a destructive force as it brings death by dro!ning. This
suggestion is e(tended into the ne(t part of the poem !here the
absence of the life-giving force of !ater causes man to suffer
both physical dehydration and a spiritual drought.
The final part " 'hat the thunder Said" tal#s of the decay and
emptiness of modern life !hich is utterly lac#ing in spirituality.
/art 0 begins !ith a graphic account of ,hrists betrayal trial
and death on the cross his +ourney to Emmaus after his
resurrection and his redemption of the fallen !oman 2ary
2agdalene. The character of 2oses the !ater diviner and @ld
Testament prophet is presented !andering across the realms of a
blea# and barren modern !aste land. There is also a description
of the Duester >nights grueling +ourney to the empty ,hapel
9!here once the *oly 6rail !as secretly enshrined:. In the
closing lines of the poem the arrival of the redemptive rain is
heard in the thunderous voice of /ra+apati the supreme 6od of
the *indu pantheon. *is !ords of advice to his disciples the
$evas 9gods: the 5suras 9Evil spirits: and the 2anusyas
9humans: are to give sympathi&e and control 9respectively:. In
the end Eliot proclaims a message of 7 "ShantihE Shantih
ShantihE" i.e. the divine peace that surpasses all human
understanding.
SUMMARY AND NOTES
The Title
The title of the poem consists of the central !aste land symbol
and a significant date -.22. ;or the title of his poem Eliot chose
the central symbol of a devastated land. The title evo#es all the
associations of a barren landscape blighted by drought and
;amine leading on to !ide-scale human starvation misery and
death. 5t another level this symbolic title recalls the ancient
vegetation or fertility myths and primitive fol#lore associated
!ith the sterility of a land affected by the impotence of its ruler.
4oth the land and its people could be saved by a virtuous and
daring youth !hose life !as ritually sacrificed so as to rene! the
earth.
The Waste Land as a title and symbol has a profound and subtle
significance. Eliot uses it to refer to the post-!ar devastation of
'estern civili&ation as a modern counterpart to the mythological
!aste land. Significantly Eliot affi(ed the date "-.22" to the title
suggesting thereby that his "!aste land" pertains to the
contemporary scenario of !oe and !aste follo!ing the carnage
of 'orld 'ar I. ;or the most part Eliot relates the !aste land
symbol of the title to the "1nreal ,ity" such as 3ondon 5thens
5le(andria 0ienna or 8erusalem 9all centers of human
civili&ation destroyed in past or recent human history:.
The Epigrph
Eliot uses for epigraph a chance remar# in the =oman poem The
"atyricon by /atronius. 3iterally this passage in 3atin and 6ree#
reads as follo!s7
"I myself once sa! !ith my o!n eyes the sibyl of ,umae
hanging in a cageF and !hen the boys as#ed her7 "'hat !ouldst
thou prophesy SibylG She replied7 "I !ant to die."
The -.th century English poet $ante 6abriel =ossetti in his
verse translation of The "atyricon renders it thus7
"I sa! the Sibyl at ,umae
*e said !ith mine o!n eyeF
She hung in a cage and read her rune
To all the passers by
Said the boys7 "Sibyl !hat !ouldnt thou prophesyG"
She ans!ered7 "I !ould die"
N!te"
Eliot had first chosen a line from 8oseph ,onradHs novel The
Heart of Dar#ness 9-I..: as the epigraph to his poem. It !as the
famous dying !ords of the central figure >urt& as reported by
2arlo! the narrator7 "The horrorE The horrorE" !hen /ound
edited Eliot"s manuscript of The Waste Land he ob+ected to the
original epigraph on the grounds that ,onrads novel !as not
!eighty enough for the purpose Eliot had in mind. So the !ords
!ere removed and substituted by a %uote from The "atyricon by
the -st century 5$ =oman poet /etronius 5rbiter. The drun#en
Trimalchio at an ostentatious feast hosted by him spea#s to them.
The Sibyl of ,umae is one of the oldest and most famous
prophetesses #no!n to the ancient 6raeco-=oman !orld. She
!as the guardian spirit of a sacred cave at ,umae the earliest
6ree# settlement in Italy. 9*er cave may still be seen on the
Italian coast a little north of the 4ay of ?aples:. *er Sibylline
prophecies 9in nine volumes: !ere entrusted to =omeHs last #ing
Tar%uinus Superbus. She !as also regarded as the gate-#eeper of
the under!orld and in the si(th eclogue of 0irgils $eneid% she
conducts 5eneas through *ades 9or the under!orld:. @nce the
6od 5pollo offered her immortality if she !ould be his lover.
The Sibyl accepted but failed to as# for perpetual youth and
hence !ithered into old age. Thus her death !ish is lin#ed to
her desire to be rid of her anti%uated life +ust as the !al#ing dead
of the modern "1nreal ,ity" have nothing to loo# for!ard to in
life but death. Eliot perhaps suggests that !e are about to be led
into a #ind of $antean descent into the "hell" of a modern
!aste land +ust as the Sibyl guided 5eneas through *ades.
The De#i$t!r% Li&e"
;or E&ra /ound " Il miglior fabbro"
Eliot addressed this poem to his friend and compatriot E&ra
/ound !ho helped him edit and publish The Waste Land& The
second line is in the Italian vernacular used by $ante in his
Divine Comedy and translates thus7 ";or E&ra /ound - the greater
craftsman."
N!te"
E&ra /ound 9-II<--.J2: !as an 5merican e(patriate poet living
in 3ondon !here Eliot met him in September -.-C. The t!o
became life long friends. /ound !as one of the leading Imagist
poets and a #ey figure in the modernist movement in 5nglo-
5merican poetry. *e helped Eliot publish his early poems li#e
the Love "ong of '& $lfred (rufroc# 9-.-<:. *e also carried out
e(tensive revisions on the early drafts of The Waste Land. 5s a
to#en of his appreciation Eliot dedicated the poem to "the
greater craftsman" - /ound. /ound reduced Eliot"s long
spra!ling poem from its original thousand or so lines to +ust CAC
in the final version - but he did not e(cise any lines from /arts I0
and 0. Eliot utili&ed some of the segments omitted by /ound in
such later poems as Gerontion and Four !uartets.
"Il 'igli!r F((r!"7 This Italian phrase is %uoted from $antes
(urgatorio 9,anto KK0I 3ine.--J:. $ante used it to great the
troubadour poet 5rnaut $aniel - an aristocratic minstrel from
/rovenLe in Southern ;rance !hom he meets in "purgatory."
T.S. Eliot remar#ed that he used $ante"s !ords to honor E.
/ound for "the technical mastery and critical ability" manifest in
/ounds !or# of edition Eliot"s The Waste Land from a +umble of
good and bad passages into a poem. In the first published edition
of the poem Eliot did not print this dedication. *o!ever he
inscribed the !ords in a copy of the poem that he presented to
/ound. In later editions the dedication !as included.
THE POEM IS DI)IDED INTO FI)E SECTIONS. EACH
SECTION HAS ITS OWN TITLE.
Prt I
The B*ril !+ the De#
The phrase "The 4urial of the $ead" calls to mind several
different associations. It recalls the various fertility myths of
ancient civili&ations in Egypt 6reece and 'estern 5sia such as
myths of @siris 5donis Tammu& and 5ttis. The "burial of the
dead" can also possibly refer to the agricultural practice of
planting the dried or dead seed +ust before spring so that the seed
may germinate and sprout in summer. The title also recalls the
,hristian burial service in the ,hurch of Englands The Boo# of
Common (rayer and hence suggests death. The full title of the
funeral service in this 5nglican prayer boo# is The )rder for the
Burial of the Dead. It ends !ith the /riest and mourners
thro!ing a handful of dust into the grave a symbolic reminder of
the 4iblical in+unction "$ust thou art and to dust thou shalt
return." 3ater in 3ine A0 !e hear an echo of this rite in Tiresias
utterance7 "I !ill sho! you fear in a handful of dust."
N!te"
The title "4urial of the dead" relates to the poems underlying
mythological structure. It recalls the burial of the various fertility
gods of different ancient cultures referred to by 8essie 'eston
and 8ames ;ra&er in their anthropological !or#s. These include
the god @siris in Egypt 5donis in 6reece and ,yprus Tammu&
and 5ltis in 'est 5sia. Each year the peoples of these regions
celebrated the annual cycle of natures decay 9in autumn and
!inter: by ritually burying or dismembering a god !ho they felt
personified the fertility of vegetable life. They believed this god
died annually and rose again from the dead as 8ames ;ra&er
describes in The Golden Bough.
The ancient Egyptians revered the pharaoh @siris as fertility
6od. *e !as brutally murdered by his brother Set but his sister-
!ifeF Isis gathered the bits of his mangled corpse and buried it.
Each spring the ancient Egyptians held that @siris rose again to
life through the #indly action of @siris son *orus the sun and
rene!ed natural life on earth after the long !inter months. So did
the ancient ,ypriots and 6ree#s honored 5donis the handsome
son of ,inyras >ing of ,yprus. 3oved by 5phrodite !hom he
re+ected 5donis !as #illed by a !ild boar !hile hunting. ;rom
his blood sprang the rose. *is untimely death led to the fertility
cult of 5donis spreading from ,yprus to 6reece in the <th
century 4,. *is follo!ers believed this 6od-li#e youth died
every year in !inter and returned to life each spring thus letting
ne! crops gro!.
Li&e" ,-.
S*''r%
"5pril is the cruelest month ... !ith dried tubers." The first seven
lines of the poem are uttered by the prophet narrator Tiresias
!ho !as a hermaphroditic "seer" attached to #ing @edipus court.
*e gives us a graphic picture of !hat is apparently a natural
!aste land scenario !hich focuses on the deadness of nature.
*o!ever at a deeper level this picture of a desert landscape also
refers to a mental and spiritual !aste land !hich brings only
sterile desires and futile memories.
Eliot in these opening lines stri#es an ironic contrast bet!een the
modern !aste land and that in remote and primitive civili&ations.
5ncient societies celebrated the return of spring through the
practices of their vegetation cults !ith their fertility rites and
sympathetic magic. These rituals demonstrate the uni%ue
harmony that then e(isted bet!een human cultures and the
natural environment. 4ut in the 20th century !aste land 5pril is
not the #indest but "the cruelest month" as it merely breeds
"3ilacs out of the dead land." It stirs "memory and desire to no
fruitful purpose apparently. There is no %uic#ening of the human
spirit. Se( here becomes sterile breeding not fulfillment in life
but mere disgust and vague apprehensions.
N!te"
3ine - "5pril ... month" is a fine poetic echo of the opening lines
in ,haucer"s /rologue to the ,anterbury Tales 9-C00:7 "'hanne
that 5prille !ith his shoures soote". There ,haucer celebrates the
return of the +oyous season of spring and its refreshing rains that
instill vigorous life into the roots of plants and engenders the
birth of a ne! cycle of natures fecundity. 4ut in Eliots
"!aste land" there seems little hope of rene!ed life as the early
spring rains manage to stir only "a little life" in the "dull roofs"
and "dried tubers" that a!ait their rene!al each spring.
3ines 2-I "$ead land ... dull roots ... dried tubers ... forgetful
sho!"7 1sually Easter Sunday !hich commemorates ,hrists
resurrection falls in 5pril. 4ut Eliot ironically comments here
that 5pril is the "cruelest month" as the stirring of natural life
and the spiritual resurrection symboli&ed in Easter fill humans
today not !ith hope but fear and apprehension if not despair.
This is clearly suggested in the phrases "dead land" "dull roots"
"dried tubers" and the blea# picture of earth covered in "forgetful
sno!."
These four phrases suggest the bareness of earth and vacuity of
life today. In ancient fertility cults spring !as celebrated as the
propitious season !hich brought bac# potency to the ;isher
>ing and fertility to his land.
3ine 2 "4reeding lilacs..."7 5ccording to traditional vegetation
myths 3ilacs symboli&ed fertility. 4ut Eliot lin#s up the lilacs
referred to here to the "hyacinths" of line A<. 4oth these flo!ers
have poetic associations of meanings !ith death - the lilac for its
purple color of mourning and e(%uisite beauty !ere perhaps
celebrated by 'hitman in his elegy for 3incoln "'hen 3ilacs
last in the $oovyard 4loomed" 9See note on *yacinths 3ine A<:
Li&e" /-,/
S*''r%
"Summer surprised us ... go south in !inter."7
There is a dramatic change of tone and tempo here. These lines
mar# an abrupt transition from the slo! pace and solemn mood
of the opening lines !hich Tiresias - the narrator seems to intone
as a sort of interior monologue or solilo%uy. In the -- lines the
spea#er seems to have changed and !e apparently hear the
narration of countess 2arie 3arisch about her childhood
memories and present life. This passage of her reminiscences
thro!s light upon her early emotional e(periences her
!anderings through Europe as a political refugee from her native
3ithuania and her o!n loss of identity resulting from her life as
an e( - royal e(ile. This section creates a picture of an emotional
!aste land in the lives of aristocratic !omen li#e countess 2arie
!ho suffered great physical hardships and psychological
dislocations as a result of the political turmoil in Europe
immediately before during and soon after 'orld 'ar I.
N!te"
3ine I "Starnbergersee" is a popular la#e resort near 2unich in
the 4avarian district of 'est 6ermany. Eliot visited this area in
5ugust -.-- !hen he perhaps met countess 2arie the
interlocutor of these lines. It !as a fashionable European holiday
resort famed for the Schloss 4erg castle on its shores. It !as built
by the 4avarian arch - $u#e 3ud!ig !ho dro!ned in the 3a#e
!hile trying to escape imprisonment in his o!n castle at the turn
of the century.
3ine -0 "*ofgarten" is a 6erman !ord for an open-air cafe
located on a side!al# or pavement. There is a famous *ofgarten
attached to the public par# and Moological gardens in 2unich.
3ine -2 "4in gar >eine =ussin ... echt $eutsche"7 This is often
regarded as a verbatim transcript of a remar# made in 6erman by
the ,ountess to Eliot !hen they met briefly in 2unich. In
translation it reads "I am not =ussian at allF I am from 3ithuania
a pure 6erman"
3ine -A--C "The arch-du#e ... my cousin"7 2arie had several
archdu#es for cousins including 5rchdu#e ;erdinand !hose
assassination in Sara+evo 95ugust -.-C: spar#ed off 'orld 'ar
I. 5nother cousin !as the "mad #ing" 3ud!ig of Schlossberg
fame and the 5rchdu#e =udolph !ho committed suicide at
2ayerling. 2arie had arranged the marriage bet!een =udolph
and 2aria 0estera and after their double suicide in the
2ayerling tragedy she left 0ienna and returned for good to the
5lpine mountains of 4avaria !here she often remar#ed she felt
free 93ine.-J:.
3ine -<--B "2arie 2arie"7 5n obvious reference to ,ountess
2arie 3arisch !hose e(iled family stayed on the Starnbergersee.
She !as a niece and confidante of the 5ustrian Empress
Eli&abeth. Eliot presumably met her during one of his visits to
6ermany 9either in -.-- or later in -.-C:. Some critics assume
ho!ever that Eliot never met ,ountess 2arie but that he
obtained details for his poem from her rather popular
autobiography *y +ast 9-.-B:. 6eorge 3. >. 2orris !riting in
the (artisan Revie, 0ol. KKI 92arch-5pril -.<C: dra!s
attention to the many similarities bet!een parts of The Waste
Land and the countess autobiography. 4ut !e have it on the
authority of 0alerie Eliot 9!ho edited The Waste Land Facsimile
pp.-2<-2B: that the description of the sledding incident !as ta#en
verbatim from Eliots conversation !ith ,ountess 2arie.
The ,ountess !as famous for her glamorous good loo#s and her
unfortunate neurasthenia. She !as a believer in for tune telling
by cards. ,ountess 2arie 3arisch !as assassinated at 3a#e
3eman in -.-J.
Li&e" ,0-12
S*''r%
In this segment one can hear again the voice of Tiresias !ho
depicts a sort of spiritual !aste land. The tone here is reminiscent
of old biblical prophets littering their somber prophecies. It
portrays an agoni&ed !orld filled !ith "stony rubbish" !here
"the sun beats" mercilessly do!n so that "the dead trees give no
shelter" and the shrill cry of the cric#et brings "no relief." In this
desolate scenario "the dry stone" gives "no sound of !ater."
91nli#e in biblical times !hen 2oses could procure !ater from
roc#s using his "divining" rod and thus bring relief to the thirsty
Israelites !andering the desert:.
N!te"
3ine -. "'hat are the roots that clutch !hat branches gro!"7
These are apparently rhetorical %uestions !ith self-evident
ans!ers. There are no roots that can ta#e hold in the roc#y soil
nor can any branches gro! on dead trees in this !aste land.
3ine 20 "Son of 2an"7 Eliots ?otes to The Waste Land tells us
that the phrase is dra!n from The )ld Testament% Boo# of
-.e#iel 927-: perhaps "Son of man" refers to fallen man son of
the !ea# !illed 5dam in contrast to "Son of 6od" i.e. 8esus
,hrist.
3ine 22 "4ro#en images"7 5nother phrase dra!n from -.e#iel
9B7B: 9according to Eliot"s ?otes: This biblical passage describes
ho! "cities shall be laid !aste and high places shall be thro!n
do!n and destroyed." *ere 6od !arns the idol-!orshipping
Israelites of severe punishment. Eliot suggests that the modern
day "son of man" only #no!s a heap of bro#en images" and has
lost his connection to 6od his creator.
3ines 2<-2. "There is shado! under this red roc# ... handful of
dust"7 These lines are a close parallel to the opening of Eliot"s
o!n early poem The Death of "t& /arcissus 9-.-- - -2: !hich
runs thus7
",ome under the shado! of this gray roc#
5nd I !ill sho! you something different from either
Your shado! spra!ling over the sand at day brea# or
Your shado! leaping behind the fire against the red roc#."
Eliot feels free to dra! on lines from his earlier poem for The
Waste Land. It is rare for a poet to %uote his o!n poem.
3ine A0 "5 handful of dust" is a phrase perhaps dra!n from one
of 8ohn $onnes famous 2editations7 "'hat becomes of man ...
!hen himself shrin#s consumes himself to a handful of dust."
The line also brings to mind the ,hristian in+unction to man of
his bodily mortality7 "$ust thou art and unto dust thou shall
return."