In a Station of the Metro

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1913

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Poem Analysis

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Further Reading & Resources

Related Poems

“[the cry of the cicada]“ by Matsuo Basho (1690)

“The cry of the cicada,” coming to Western audiences from the Japanese tradition, matches “In a Station of the Metro” in description and brevity. Matsuo Basho, who gained recognition for his use of the haiku form, composed the poem. The poem’s brief form reflects not only the brevity of life, but also the swiftness of experience. The poem relies on natural imagery like cicadas as a representation of humanity. The speaker implies that the cicadas’ cry is futile as a warning against the end of the world. Like “In a Station of the Metro,” the poem relies on brevity to reinforce its message. The poem also consists of only 14 words, and in the English translation, most of the words are articles like “the,” prepositions like “of” and “like,” and non-specific pronouns like “that” and “it.” The poem only becomes human and personal because of the pronoun “us,” much like Pound’s poem, which only becomes human because of the “faces” (Line 1).

“Fire and Ice” by Robert Frost (1920)

Ezra Pound and Robert Frost were not good acquaintances. Their poetry, however, bears many similarities. “Fire and Ice” is a brief poem. Like “In a Station of the Metro” it combines brevity, short line lengths, and careful word choices to create its powerful, philosophical message. It utilizes the elemental forces of fire and ice to discuss the apocalypse. While Pound’s poem drew inspiration in both form, style, and subject from Japanese haiku, Frost’s poem takes its subject matter and stylistic inspiration from Dante’s Inferno. “Fire and Ice” is more personal, relying on a first-person point-of-view, while Pound’s poem relies on objectivity. Both poems, however, show the juxtaposition between the natural world and a human-made one.

“Birds in Snow” by HD (1928)

HD’s work spanned five decades, and even though she is primarily known as a poet, she wrote novels, essays, and memoirs. Her work contributed to the growing avant-garde movement in Europe at the conclusion of World War II. She is widely admired for her experimental approaches to poetry. Like Pound, HD lived as an expatriate in England and Europe from 1911 to 1961. “Birds in Snow,” published in December 1928, relies on not only shortened lined lengths, but also imagistic word choices, to document a moment in time where the natural world hangs in delicate balance with humanity. Like Frost’s “Fire and Ice,” the poem relies on a first-person point-of-view to create a universally accessible experience. Like Pound’s “In a Station of the Metro,” “Birds in Snow” incorporates and emphasizes specific words to fuse the sense of sight with the process of perception.

Further Literary Resources

“Ode to the American Bus: Where Found Verse Meets Democracy in Motion” by Derek Mong (2020)

In this article, poet and critic Derek Mong, the Byron K. Trippet Associate Professor of English at Wabash College, discusses how buses are democratic institutions, a place where found and made poetry happens. Mong explores how found poetry can be found in the colorful signs lining a bus’s interior and have spawned a variety of poetry projects that serve as public service announcements. Centering Mong’s article is Pound’s “In a Station of the Metro.” Mong discusses metaphor and how it makes dissimilar things appear alike. He focuses on the power of the colon, which unites the opposites happening in the poem. The colon acts much like a modern mode of public transportation, which Mong sees as a uniter of “American democracy’s disparate elements.” Mong likens the “Petals” (Line 2) to vehicles, and he posits that “Poems about public transportation are always already poems about ourselves.” Mong also discusses poems by Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes, and Kevin Gonzalez.

“The Downfall of Ezra Pound” by R. O. Blechman (2021)

In this unique graphic article, artist and illustrator R. O. Blechman carefully portrays not only Pound’s poetry career, but also the political rhetoric and affiliations that led to Pound’s downfall. The graphic covers Pound’s young years, when he was a student at University of Pennsylvania. It highlights many of Pound’s accomplishments, like his time as editor of Poetry and his discovery of Robert Frost and T. S. Eliot. The graphic then shifts to the darker side of Pound’s career, portraying Pound’s move to Italy and his promotion of fascist ideals as part of a radio campaign in which he promoted antisemitism. The graphic article also briefly discusses Pound’s return to the United States, where he faced accusations of betrayal as well as his admittance to a hospital for the “criminally insane.” The article concludes with a careful reminder—“Words had betrayed him,” which serves as a cautious warning to readers of all ages.

“‘At the Mercy of Editorial Selections’: Amy Lowell, Ezra Pound, and the Imagist Anthologies” by Paul Bradley Bellew (2017)

In this article, assistant professor of humanities Paul Bradley Bellew highlights the career of poet Amy Lowell. The article highlights how Lowell essentially “stole” the Imagist movement from Ezra Pound. Bellew analyzes the controversial emergence and role of literary poetry anthologies during the Modernist era. The author highlights the conflict between Amy Lowell and Ezra Pound, and they discuss Pound’s separation from the Imagist movement. The article acknowledges that the current interpretation of Imagism is rooted in Pound’s perspective, and the article works to rehabilitate bits of Lowell’s literary reputation, noting how modern scholars have a more favorable view of Lowell. At the same time, the article discusses the role of poetry anthologies and how these publications began forming the bridge between high and low art and their role in Modernism. Bellew discusses the complex relationship anthologies have with the canon, and they describe the poetry anthology as “a revisionist account of modernism…one that has held the most sway in our critical history.” The article also discusses the important role anthologies played in the promotional networking of the Imagist movement and its poets.