Brennbaum
memory
lyric poem
austere
The sky-like limpid eyes, The circular infant's face, The stiffness from spats to collar Never relaxing into grace; The heavy memories of Horeb, Sinai and the forty years, Showed only when the daylight fell Level across the face Of Brennbaum 'The Impeccable'.
Brennbaum - meaning Summary
A Portrait of Brittle Dignity
Pound sketches a brief character portrait of Brennbaum, emphasizing a chilly, inflexible exterior. The speaker notes childlike facial features and rigid social trappings that never soften into warmth. Biblical references — Horeb, Sinai and the forty years — suggest deep, weighty memories or inherited tradition that only become visible when cold light falls across his face. The poem registers a tension between surface appearance and interior legacy.
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