China and the West

Ezra Pound reads Forgotten kingdom by Peter Goullart. He learned about the connection between the Naxi and Confucius. The book is dedicated to Dr. Josphe F. Rock. Goullart's dediction was sufficient to set Pound on the course of collecting and studying Rock's articles and books and the theme of the Naxi in The cantos comes directly from Rock's studies. Pound quarried the poetry out of Rock, quoting so carefully that we can match dozens of gemlike descriptions and powerful incantatory images, from Canto 98 on, with Rock He learned about the connection between the Naxi and Confucius.s words.
He wrote in his Notebook, Nov. 8 : "Rock's land and Goullart's paradise ; air blown into word-form."