Scenes of the Subway: Imagist Ideals of "In a Station of the Metro"

As Imagism rose in popularity, set expectations and rules were created in order to clearly define it and its elements. Amy Lowell's essay Tendencies in Modern American Poetry is one such guide, detailing the manifesto of Imagist poetry. Ezra Pound’s “In a Station of the Metro” falls under the category of Imagism, and meets a majority of Lowell’s criteria, failing to conform to the rules in only one notable way.

At first glance, the most striking thing about “In a Station of the Metro” is its brevity. The work is not filled with excess prose, only being two lines long, and falls easily into Imagist ideals of linguistic economy. To Lowell, this constitutes the usage of the “exact word”, rather than a “merely decorative [one]”. Each of Pound’s words fits this criteria; the diction is layered, its connotations taken into account so that a holistic image of the metro is created. The atmosphere of the station, for example, relies on the associations of the minimal words to capture a precise scene and its emotions. In describing the people within the metro as “apparitions”, Pound relays the busyness of the scene before him: people moving so quickly they are blurred and a clear look at their faces is impossible-- only the faintest hint of their individuality and presence visible before they are gone. This word captures not only the ghostliness of the people passing, but the pointedness and transience of their time in that space, as “apparition” also means an unexpected appearance. In this sense, it is clear, with only one word, that the scene is chaotic: the people within the metro quickly bob in and out of the scene, with no apparent rhythm to the movements of the place.

Pound’s work and choice of language further encompass Lowell’s imagist ideals by being “hard and clear” while still presenting “an image” of “particulars”. The conciseness of the poem depicts the exact moment: seconds of a day are not drawn out-- they pass quickly, here one second and gone the next. The imagist ideals seeks to capture “new moods”, according to Lowell, and there are none so fresh and unique as offered by the present instance.  For example, there is a clear gloomy, temporal air to the poem caused by its imagery. The “black bough” Pound depicts might describe the dark clothes the people of the metro are wearing, with their pale faces peeking out, like will-o-the-wisps in a sea of darkness. However, the station itself might be the “bough”, a permanent, solid thing, with the petals representative of the people that are present for a fleeting moment before drifting on their own way. Such imagery is reminiscent of rainy spring days. The petals appear like magic from a cold winter, but drift away just as quickly. Likewise, the people within the metro are only there temporarily, just passing through, and the scene at the metro will never be an exact replica of what it was in the exact moment again. With so few words, so carefully nuanced, Pound again meets the expectations of an imagist in the eyes of Lowell-- he is able to “present an image”, much like a painter, using simple words crafted with the utmost attention.

A final point of analysis in the examination of the extent to which Pound meets the Imagist ideals described by Lowell is in the form and structure of his poem. “In a Station of the Metro” is made up of two lines that consist of a singular sentence. The cadence of the piece (especially when read aloud) is interesting in that the first line is longer and comes across in a single, flowing breath. There are hardly any cacophonous syllables to interfere with the delicacy of the words, making the first half of the sentence come out in a rush, only to be stopped by a semicolon at the end of the line. The latter half of the sentence consists of slightly harsher, and more separated noises. In this sense, the movement of the poem is reminiscent of the bustle of the station it depicts and the speed at which everyone and everything is moving at this exact moment in time, only to suddenly stop with the arrival of the metro. People get on, off, and go their separate ways (hence the abruptness within the second line), and although they were, for one moment in time, connected. The semicolon serves as a reminder of this. Unlike a colon, it denotes the independence (though relatedness) of clauses. Similarly, although each person in the metro was associated for a moment, after it passes, they move on with their lives.

Largely in line with Imagist ideals, there still remains one way in which Pound falls short of Lowell’s ideals. The basic form of the poem is not of his own creation, and is instead borrowed from East Asian (in this case, Japanese) haikus. Although not following the exact structure of this form of poetry, it is clear that Pound’s work was largely influenced by it in the alternating and brief lengths of the lines. This style was likely not widely known in the western world at the time this poem was written, however, making it seem novel when it was borrowed and altered from a traditional form.

Except for some aspects of “In a Station of the Metro”’s structure, Pound largely conforms to the Imagist ideals highlighted by Lowell, presenting a fresh take on poetry. The conciseness and depth of the poem speak to its popularity and influence despite its brevity, and clearly mark it as a prime example of Imagism.

Word Count: 937