A Little Light from the Borders

On the evening of June 28, 2023, Poundian poets convened in a well-lit room of the University of Edinburgh, midway between the opening session of the XXX Ezra Pound International Conference and the winding bus ride to Loch Ness. Rain drops glided along the large widows as one poet after another recited original verse in celebration of Ezra Pound's legacy and influence. We gather in this volume not only the poems from those who read that evening but also work from poets who usually join us but were unable to make the journey. Our objective has been to present this volume to Mary de Rachewiltz and her family in honor of her father and on the occasion of her 100th birthday at the XXXI Ezra Pound International Conference at her home in Brunnenburg. We selected the title, A Little Light from the Borders, from Canto 92. Light appears in the title of Pound's first book, A Lume Spento, and reappears frequently in his work as a symbol of truth, hope, and life. As you read the volume, let each poem be a ray of light, emanating from poets who crossed many borders to attend the conference and contribute their work here. Let the book be "a ball of light" in your hand that "lead[s] back to splendour" (116/817).