Has any Eliot scholar done any work on the eternal footman
and why Eliot would have used the image. On the surface, of course,
it just means the guy is always there, but the sub currents are tremendous
and even absurd. A great character for an absurd play.

Reminds me of the chess game with the knight in that great movie
The Seventh Seal.


-----Original Message-----
From: T. S. Eliot Discussion forum. on behalf of Chokh Raj
Sent: Thu 6/7/2012 9:00 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: TS Eliot . the inspiration for countless rock musicians
 
Thanks, Rick. 

It's only that "eternal Footman" reminded me of an anthology piece by
Ralph Hodgson, "Time, You Old Gypsy Man":


Time, you old gypsy, 
Why hasten away? 

vis-a-vis Prufrock's: "I grow old, I grow old..." 

And Shakespeare in his sonnet on True Love: 

Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks 
Within his bending sickle's compass come

Regards,
 CR


________________________________
 From: Rickard Parker <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Thursday, June 7, 2012 8:54 PM
Subject: Re: TS Eliot . the inspiration for countless rock musicians
 
CR wrote:
> Great job, Rick.

I just put in the link; you found the webpage.  Well, some time back I did
try to organize the page some.  Its mostly trivia but may possibly be
useful to someone, like your blogger, willing to think about things.

> BTW, I come upon this remark: "The Eternal Footman comes from Eliot's
> "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock", where it symbolises death."
> I always thought the "Eternal Footman" symbolized Time. Eliot in his
> poetry is occupied with time and decay -- so maybe the two are
> intertwined in the image of the Eternal Footman.
>
> No, I'm not attributing the remark to you, Rick.  I just wanted some
> clarification.

Nope, it wasn't me and I'm not the one to offer clarification on Prufrock
but I do think that Eliot meant Death here.  Death, more often than time,
is personified (there is the Father Time addendum in Sweeney Agonistes
though) and I think Death shows up capitalized more often than Time.

Still, a good case could be made for Time (but eternal Time?)

Regards,
    Rick Parker