This is true to an extent, but then you could also argue that The Cantos are just a rearrangement of stuff read and heard, and then you are already a long way down the road of everything is stolen nothing is new I hate myself and I want to die. That’s depression talking, rather than the imagination. Alternatively you could argue that The Pound Era, in its rearrangements of materials and the ideas and insights that sparks, is as creative and original as The Cantos are, which is a lot more productive, fun and, potentially, creative. It’s probably best not to get hung up on what is superficial and what is deep, and just get your mind moving in whatever direction it wants to go.