In a Station of the Metro
The apparition of these faces in the crowd :
Petals on a wet, black bough .
Ezra Pound (born on 30 October 1885)
In una stazione del metrò
L’apparire di questi volti tra la folla:
petali su un umido ramo nero.
This is probably the most famous Imagist poem ever written in just two lines, Pound seeks to capture the fleeting impression the crowd of people seen at the Paris Metro, and puts into practice the key principle behind the Imagist movement: he wants to offer “an image in an intellectual and emotional complex in an instant of time”, able to convey the same impression he felt.
The poet who observes the crowd in an underground station took inspiration from an experience he had in Paris one day when he got out of a train and, as he wrote “I saw a beautiful face, and then, turning suddenly, another and another, and then a beautiful child’s face, and then another beautiful woman. All that day I tried to find words for what this had meant to me, and I could not find any words that seemed to me worthy, or as lovely as that sudden emotion. And that evening, as I went home along the Rue Raynouard, I was still trying, and I found, suddenly, the expression. I do not mean that I found words, but there came an equation … not in speech, but in little spots of colour….”
And he succeeded in recording that external, objective vision as an inner subjective, impression.
The title of the poem anchors and places it. The first line is a simple, clear and straightforward statement and second is a brilliant analogy. It draws together the urban world of the Paris Metro with the natural world: the faces of the crowds of people are like the petals hanging on the ‘wet, black bough’ of a tree.
This image suggests an idea of frailty: the petals on a bough are not there forever, just as the faces in the Metro. Therefore, like much Imagist verse, the poem may also be considered as a reminder of the brevity of life.

According to poet Richard Aldington, Ezra Pound may have been inspired by this Japanese print he saw in the British Library
“Woman Admiring Plum Blossoms at Night” – Suzuki Harunobu (18th century)
Superbe !
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Tu as raison: un poème intense ❤
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Che bello! Buona serata 🙂
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Pound è stato un grande poeta, non sempre apprezzato anche per le sue tendenze politiche
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Bref, mais intense !
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Merci Jean-Louis. 🙏Je te souhaite une bonne soirée.
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I enjoyed your analysis. Pound’s words also give us a glimpse into a time when so much of outwear was dark. If you look at a contemporary bus stop at Walmart or the library or the college, you see hot pink and bold turquoise and fire-engine red, and the wet, black bough wouldn’t fit.
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Great observation! Thank you, dear Priscilla
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Sì la conoscevo e sono affascinata dal tutto. È così elegante
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E’ stupenda, non è vero?
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Assolutamente sì
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Un abbraccio, Paola carissima ❤
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“not in speech, but in little spots of colour….”” trovo questa una intuizione favolosa e devo dire che spesso mi succede quando guardo, scrivo o leggo e il più delle volte quello che percepisco sono macchie di colore, come se le immagini suggerite dalle parole si trasformassero! Ho sempre trovato questa poesia unica nel suo genere, completa esaustiva e lirica! grazie tu non sai quanto per aver scritto questo post! abbi una buona serata!
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Grazie a te per questo stupendo commento!
Ho sempre apprezzato molto non solo le tue parole intense che creano immagini stupende, ma anche le immagini artistiche che crei e in cui trasferisci le emozioni
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grazie infinite Luisa!! davvero è stato un piacere per me incontrarti!
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Oh , Mati, cosa dici!!! Il piacere è reciproco
❤️❤️ 🌹 ❤️❤️
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Sai a volte ci sono persone che a pelle sento molto vicine e tu sei una di queste!🌺❤️
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Per me vale lo stesso 💕
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Ne sono felice!❤️❤️💙
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I remember Ezra Pound from back in college, but not enough. What gorgeous lines and what a wonderful reflection, Luisa!
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I’m really glad that you enjoyet this post.
Thank you, Crystal, for your beautiful comment
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Hmmm…a strange praise to the Parisian Metro…very artistic! 😊 Grazie, cara Luisa!
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Grazie a te, carissima Maria 🤗🤗🤗
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Prego, cara Luisa! Happy Samhain! ❤☘🎃🎃🎃
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Happy Samhain to you! 💛🎃💛🎃💛
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this is beautiful, thanks for sharing!
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I’m really glad you enjoyed this post and I thank you for your kind comment
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Thank you for Ezra Pound 🙋🏻♂️
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Vita, arte, poesia…che meraviglioso intreccio!
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Vero!
Un abbraccio 🙂🙂🙂
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Excellent
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Thank you!
🌹🌷🌹🌷🌹🌷🌹🌷
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Appena ho letto “faces in the crowd” mi è tornato in mente uno splendido film intitolato proprio “Un volto nella folla”: l’hai visto?
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No, non ricordo di averlo visto. Ho controllato e ho scoperto che è un film di Elia Kazan : penso che lo guarderò prossimamente.
Grazie per averlo menzionato e buona giornata!
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Grazie a te per la risposta! Colgo l’occasione per dirti che ho appena pubblicato un nuovo post… spero che ti piaccia! 🙂
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Bella! ❤
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Anch’io la trovo molto bella! Buon pomeriggio, Rebecca ❤
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Grazie carissima Luisa!!🌹
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❤️ 😊😘❤️ 💗⭐️
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una bella serata.
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Grazie! La auguro anche a te ❤
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Excellent analysis. In a way, this beautiful poem reminds me of Ungaretti” s “Soldati”. The sense of frailty , the title that gives sense to the images and the brevity, of course. Thanks for sharing.
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Many thanks, Stefania
I appreciate your precious reflection on this. . 🌼
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I love that it is set in the Metro!
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It is a great poem: so concise and meaningful! 🌷🤗🌼
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