Exploring The Waste Land
A commentary page linked from The Waste Land, Part III, line 177

Testimony
Part III
Lines 177-179

The usual use of testimony is to describe sworn statements but here testimony is being used in the sense of evidence. Eliot has chosen this word because there is a sexual element in it to accompany the theme in this passage of sexual rendezvous.

The root of the word testimony comes from the Roman custom of men holding their testes when swearing their oaths.

The passage is:


Exploring The Waste Land
File name: cq177.html
File date: Sunday, September 29, 2002
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