A Wife's Life The poem “The River – Merchant's Wife: A Letter” describes the life of a Chinese woman who is married to a merchant. Pound is able to develop the wife's feelings with a sad tone, allusion and naturalistic imagery. To begin the poem, Pound describes the life of a Chinese river-merchant and his wife as a child. The speaker describes her hair as being cut “straight across my forehead.” This alludes to the mark of a young girl in Ancient Chinese culture. By doing this, the speaker reveals that she is still a young girl. The repetition in three separate lines of the verb "playing" describe the little girl's activity at the front gate, as well as the little boy's presence on stilts and his circling around where she sits, emphasizes the natural, contented activity of children. It demonstrates the connection they had, even as children. This is revealed in the final line of the stanza when the speaker states “Two small people, without dislike or suspicion.” This line shows that the two children trusted and liked each other, and therefore, they were good friends. The second stanza displays the two children who are now older, 14 years old, and married. Throughout the second stanza the speaker is exhibiting her shyness around her new husband. This can be seen when she lowers her head and looks at the wall. She is uncomfortable around her new husband and cannot look at him in the eyes. This demonstrates that she is still young and innocent. The first two stanzas the speaker describes her life as a young girl. In the final two stanzas the speaker has become more mature and an adult. She has become more comfortable with her her husband, and it can be seen when she states her desire for her “dust to be mingled with yours.” The dust is alluding to the ashes of themselves when they are cremated. This reveals that she has become more comfortable because she is declaring that she wants to spend eternity with him. This is emphasized with the repetition of “forever” in the next line. The next stanza reveals that the speakers husband has left, “At sixteen you departed.” It develops a sad tone which is seen when the speaker hears the “monkeys make sorrowful noise.” The effect of this long absence is brought to full comprehension by the use of the natural image of the sounds of the monkeys that reflect back to her the sound of her own sorrow. The sounds that monkeys make are generally interpreted as chirping, happy sounds, but the weight of the wife's sorrow is so great that she can