"Death by Water" Annotations
From The Waste Land Wiki
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The title refers the reader back to Madame Sosostris' card reading in part one, "The Burial of the Dead" (see [["The Burial of the Dead" Annotations]] for more information). She bids her client to "fear death by water." | The title refers the reader back to Madame Sosostris' card reading in part one, "The Burial of the Dead" (see [["The Burial of the Dead" Annotations]] for more information). She bids her client to "fear death by water." | ||
− | ===Lines 312-314=== | + | ===Lines 312-314, Ancient History=== |
Phlebas the Phoenician, a fortnight dead, | Phlebas the Phoenician, a fortnight dead, | ||
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And the profit and loss. | And the profit and loss. | ||
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+ | "Phlebas" may be name derived from the latin adjective "flebilis" meaning "lamentable, to be wept over," which only makes sense if he's a fortnight dead. Phoenicians are historically best known for their rich trade network, and so this passage shows a man who probably lived to make money, dies at the hands of cruel nature. | ||
==Stanza 2== | ==Stanza 2== |