Ezra Pound's "Metro" is a poem that captures the frenetic energy and hectic pace of life in a modern metropolis. The poem is written in free verse, with no set rhyme scheme or meter, which helps to convey the sense of chaos and disarray that characterizes urban life.
The poem begins with the line "Hasty, hasty, hasty / Bussy, bussy, bussy," which immediately sets the tone for the rest of the poem. The repetition of the word "hasty" and the use of onomatopoeia with "bussy" give the impression of a bustling, fast-paced environment. This is further emphasized by the use of the word "scurry," which suggests that the people in the city are constantly rushing around, trying to get from one place to another as quickly as possible.
As the poem progresses, Pound uses a variety of imagery and figurative language to convey the sense of overwhelming noise and activity in the city. He describes the sound of the city as a "hissing steam," and the people as "ants" scurrying around in a "maze." The use of animal imagery helps to underscore the idea that the city is a place of constant motion and activity, where people are constantly on the move and struggling to keep up with the demands of modern life.
Despite the frenetic pace of the city, Pound's poem also captures a sense of loneliness and isolation. The people in the city are described as "shadows" and "phantom forms," suggesting that they are anonymous and disconnected from one another. This sense of isolation is further emphasized by the use of the word "vain," which suggests that the people in the city are trying to achieve something, but are ultimately unable to find true meaning or purpose in their lives.
Overall, Ezra Pound's "Metro" is a powerful and evocative poem that captures the chaos and energy of life in a modern metropolis. Through the use of vivid imagery and figurative language, Pound conveys the sense of frenetic activity and loneliness that characterizes urban life, making the poem a poignant and thought-provoking reflection on the human experience in the modern world.
Ezra Pound and Haiku
He could have used the word appearance, but chose instead to use a word that has a ghostly, otherworldly effect on the text. The eyes of this dead lady speak to me. L'Art, 1910 Green arsenic smeared on an egg-white cloth, Crushed strawberries! Empty are the ways of this land Where Ione Walked once, and now does not walk But seems like a person just gone. Pound was a voracious reader, and he maintained a strong interest in the art and religion of many world cultures. From the perspective of a haiku poet, Higginson singles out the most important change Pound made: that is the one from the colon at the end of the first line to a semicolon.
In a Station of the Metro by Ezra Pound: Poem Analysis & Overview
And Richard Eugene Smith gives a good analysis of this story in his essay titled Ezra Pound and the Haiku College English, Vol. Typically, a haiku consists of three short lines that describe an image. Terebess Asia Online TAO Index Ezra Loomis Pound 1885-1972 IN A STATION OF THE METRO The apparition of these faces in the crowd: Petals on a wet, black bough. Neither of these two parts has primacy over the other. See also Ezra Pound's Poetry and Prose: Contributions to Periodicals, prefaced and arranged by Lea Baechler, A.
What is Ezra Pound describing in the poem in a station of the Metro?
Pound wrote it after having a spiritual experience in a Paris metro subway station. For further details, see pp. While the poem does reference nature, it alludes to an urban setting — that of a metro station. The Bath Tub AS a bathtub lined with white porcelain, When the hot water gives out or goes tepid, So is the slow cooling of our chivalrous passion, O my much praised but-not-altogether-satisfactory lady. Here's an alternate, made-up version of the poem: The apparitions of these faces in the crowd are petals on a wet, black bough. Ezra Pound and the Chinese Written Language.
Ezra Pound, In a Station of the Metro (Haiku) Terebess Asia Online (TAO)
Quies This is another of our ancient loves. Of course, Pound's poem does not follow this structure. Walton Litz, and James Longenbach New York and London: Garland, 1991 , I 1902-1914 : 137. Finally, let's consider the third and probably the most confusing goal of imagism: to compose in the sequence of the musical phrase, not in sequence of a metronome. Yet so is life, in which countless impressions and ideas are unified for a moment in the light of awareness. The Patterns Erinna is a model parent, Her children have never discovered her adulteries. At the time, he had very little to his name.
In A Station Of The Metro by Ezra Pound
Yet Pound was a solitary figure who read widely, in Italian, French, English, and American verse, and also in Chinese and Japanese poetry, theatre, and philosophy. Society The family position was waning, And on this account the little Aurelia, Who had laughed on eighteen summers, Now bears the palsied contact of Phidippus. Somehow, the faces are arranged like so many petals hanging from a tree on a rainy day, which is the image that Pound's poem conveys. Lesson Summary One of the most significant Modernist poets, Ezra Pound, wrote " In a Station in the Metro" in 1913. When I consider the curious habits of man I confess, my friend, I am puzzled. Using very few words, he paints a clear and unforgettable image. Imagine riding the metro during rush hour one day.
