by Chu Man-wa, David 

“In the Station of the Metro” is an imagist poem by American writer Ezra Pound. In this poem, Pound presents a snapshot of a crowded metro station in 1912 Paris: “The apparition of these faces in the crowd;/ Petals on a wet, black, bough” (Pound, 1-2). Stripped of ornate poetic language, there is nothing to focus on except the image presented in the two lines.

Comprising only 14 words, without a verb, in colloquial language, the poem is a short description of the metro and the passengers. In the first line, the usage of “these faces” (Pound, 1) establishes a first-person perspective of the metro, adding intimacy to this poem.

The poet first describes what is seen: a crowded metro station, with faces in the crowd looking like an “apparition” (Pound, 1). The face is the most distinct feature of a person, helping to differentiate individuals. However, in the station, the faces of the crowd are blended into a blur because of their sweeping motion across the station. Indeed, the singular form of apparition is used, instead of the plural, signifying that the faces are blended into one single entity, which further accentuates the blurriness and the motion of the imagery.

What remains of this blur are the faces in the dark subway, with Pound’s remark “petals on a wet, black, bough” (Pound, 2). The counterintuitive connection between the artificial and the natural invites a comparison between these two opposing elements. While this human-made underground metro is completely unlike the natural countryside, peoples’ faces look like petals of a flower: entirely different, yet quite similar. Perhaps, people serve as an extension of nature, although they are farther away from nature in a metropolis.

The rhyming pattern of this poem also contributes to the presentation of the imagery. There is no rhyming scheme, but the end of the two lines, “crowd” and “bough” share the same assonance, which can be considered a near rhyme (Pound, 1-2). The fact that “crowd” and “bough” almost rhyme adds to the contrast between the two opposing environments, the metropolis and nature.

Including the title, “In a Station of the Metro” consists of no more than 20 words. Short in length, it is brimming with details. This is apt though, as the poem reminds me of the experience of boarding a train and departing from a crowded MTR station.

Works Cited
Pound, Ezra. “In a Station of the Metro.” Poetry, vol. 2, no. 1, 1913, pp. 12–12
 

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