Verbless poetry explained

A verbless poem, a poem without verbs.[1] Ezra Pound's "In a Station of the Metro" is a verbless poem of fourteen words:

The apparition of these faces in the crowd;

Petals on a wet, black bough.

Afanasy Fet produced two other classics of the genre: "Storm in the evening sky" (Буря на небе вечернем, 1842) and "Whisper, timid breathing" (Шепот, робкое дыханье, 1850).[2] Otto Jespersen observed that the absence of verbs can give "a very definite impression of motion."[3] It has been called "poetry without any dress, without ornament".[4]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: From A Poet's Glossary: Verbless Poetry Academy of American Poets. www.poets.org. 2015-12-28.
  2. [Hirsch, Edward]
  3. Jespersen, Otto, 'Role of the Verb, Selected Writings'. 1912
  4. [Hearn, Lafcadio]