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Poetry
POEM TEXT 29 genuine, you are interested in poetry.

1 I too, dislike it: there are things that are important

beyond all this fiddle.
SUMMARY
2 Reading it, however, with a perfect contempt for it,
one discovers in I don't like poetry either: there's so much else to care about
3 it after all, a place for the genuine. besides all this nonsense. But if you read it with maximum
4 Hands that can grasp, eyes skepticism, you'll find that there's ultimately room for
5 that can dilate, hair that can rise something real in it. Hands that can grip things, eyes whose
6 if it must, these things are important not because a pupils can grow wider, hair that can stand on end if
necessary—these matter not because
7 high-sounding interpretation can be put upon them but they can be explained in some sophisticated-seeming way, but
because they are because they have a purpose. Once they evolve to the point
8 useful. When they become so derivative as to become where their purpose is incomprehensible, the response is
unintelligible, universal: we don't appreciate what baffles us—whether that's
9 the same thing may be said for all of us, that we a bat roosting upside down or searching for
10 do not admire what food, elephants shoving each other, a wild horse rolling in the
11 we cannot understand: the bat grass, a vigilant wolf beneath a tree, the hardhearted critic
growing annoyed like a horse bothered by fleas, the lover of
12 holding on upside down or in quest of something to
baseball, or the specialist in numerical data. It's also
unreasonable to show bias against business records and
13 eat, elephants pushing, a wild horse taking a roll, a
tireless wolf under textbooks; each of these things is significant. That said, one has
14 a tree, the immovable critic twitching his skin like a to note a difference: when popularized by mediocre poets, the
horse that feels a flea, the base- product doesn't qualify as poetry. Only when our poets can be
"literalists of the imagination"—can set aside cheekiness and
15 ball fan, the statistician—
frivolity and put forward,
16 nor is it valid
17 to discriminate against "business documents and for close study, invented worlds that hold realistic ugliness as
well as beauty—will we have true poetry. Until then, if you want
18 school-books"; all these phenomena are important. poems to contain both the basic stuff of poetry (literary
One must make a distinction language, devices, etc.) and an authentic sense of reality, then
you actually care about poetry.
19 however: when dragged into prominence by half
poets, the result is not poetry,
20 nor till the poets among us can be THEMES
21 "literalists of
22 the imagination"—above
THE NATURE AND PURPOSE OF POETRY
23 insolence and triviality and can present
In “Poetry,” the speaker wrestles with what makes a
24 for inspection, "imaginary gardens with real toads in poem worthwhile (or even count as a poem in the
them," shall we first place!). The speaker begins by admitting that they
25 have it. In the meantime, if you demand on the one themselves get pretty frustrated with poetry—that all too often
hand, it seems pretentious and incomprehensible. But the speaker
argues that such traits aren’t intrinsic to the art form. Rather,
26 the raw material of poetry in
they result from poets mistakenly assuming that good poetry
27 all its rawness and has to contain obscure, reader-alienating language about
28 that which is on the other hand grandiose subjects. On the contrary, good poetry is sincere,
honest, and, above all, contains “the genuine”—something real.

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The speaker ironically begins the poem by saying that they, too, discovers in
“dislike” poetry. They read poetry “with a perfect contempt for it after all, a place for the genuine.
it” and acknowledge that there are more “important” things "Poetry" begins with the speaker confessing their "dislike" of
“beyond all this fiddle” (i.e., triviality). The speaker finds that a poetry. This is a rather ironic opening statement for a poem!
lot of poetry has nothing going on beneath the surface: it’s silly Surely the speaker's relationship to poetry must be more
and tedious, all parlor tricks and sleight of hand. Yet the complex than pure "dislike" if they're writing a poem about it.
speaker’s frustration isn’t really with poetry as a whole but with Still, these first four words are one of the most famous
poetry that's “so derivative as to become unintelligible.” In openings in 20th-century poetry, and they set up a nuanced,
other words, the speaker is fed up with poets who imitate other challenging reflection on the art form.
poets so awkwardly that their verse turns into inaccessible
The speaker adds that "there are things that are important
nonsense. In this way, Moore's poem responds to a larger
beyond all this fiddle." "Fiddle," in this context, means nonsense
discussion about the pretentiousness of poetry.
or deception. At the same time, it brings to mind the musical
Indeed, the speaker thinks there are far too many “half instrument, suggesting that musicality can be part of poetry's
poets”—writers whose poems seem challenging or impressive deceptiveness. Perhaps the speaker thinks poetry needs to do
on the surface, but have no real depth. And if people can’t more than just sound nice.
“understand” poetry, the speaker declares, they can’t “admire”
Indeed, the speaker says they read poetry "with a perfect
or appreciate it, either. Basically, an impenetrable poem is
contempt for it." This is hyperbole
yperbole; if the speaker really felt
pointless. Poems, the speaker continues, need to be like “Hands
"perfect contempt" for poetry, why would they bother reading
that can grasp” and “eyes / that can dilate”—body parts we value
it? This exaggeration suggests that the speaker is feeling fed up
“not because” they lend themselves to fancy “interpretation[s]”
with poetry, until, that is, they remember that there is "a place
but because they’re truly “useful.” Likewise, the words and
for the genuine" in it. The speaker is caught between feelings of
devices poets use should serve a purpose; they, too, should help
poetry being a load of bologna and the belief that actually there
readers feel and see things.
is something real about it after all.
The speaker thus makes a case for poets being “literalists of /
Line 1 is end-stopped
end-stopped, and feels straightforward and emphatic.
the imagination.” That is, they should use their imaginations in
Lines 2-3, however, are enjambed
enjambed:
service of creating something “raw” and “real.” Poets should
also be “above / insolence and triviality”; writing poetry is
Reading it, however, with a perfect contempt for it,
serious work and should be treated as such. This doesn’t mean
one discovers in
poems can’t be playful or ambiguous—it just means that a poem
it after all, a place for the genuine.
should be more than a bag of tricks, a slick display of the poet’s
technical skill. Such displays, the speaker suggests, are empty
Notice how long line 2 is, and how the enjambment makes the
and meaningless, and they degrade people’s trust in poetry.
line feel as if it's simply overflowing into the next one. The
Instead, poets should strive to “present […] imaginary gardens
choice to break the line after a preposition makes the poem feel
with real toads in them.” In other words, poets' invented worlds
a little more prosaic; ending the line on an image or punchy
shouldn't be purely escapist—they should reflect plain, even
phrase would be more expected. This unconventional choice
ugly, realities. Though the “raw materials” poets work with are
signals, perhaps, that poetry doesn't have to be perfectly
obviously artificial (words and literary devices can only gesture
chiseled in order to convey something "genuine."
toward or approximate the real world), the poet’s goal should
still be to express—and make readers feel—something In fact, the poem's form is quite experimental. Like other
“genuine.” modernist poets, Moore continually pushed the boundaries of
what poetry was allowed to be in her era. The poem's use of
Where this theme appears in the poem: syllabic meter (in which lines contain a certain number of
syllables rather than stresses) feels simultaneously loose and
• Lines 1-29 structured, rhythmic but not tightly musical. Most of the
poem's stanzas are sestets (but the third stanza is an
exception), and its lines range anywhere from 4 to 22 syllables.
LINE-BY
LINE-BY-LINE
-LINE ANAL
ANALYSIS
YSIS The poet playfully flouts traditional ideas about what a poem
should look or sound like, suggesting that style isn't ultimately
LINES 1-3 what makes a poem matter.
I too, dislike it: there are things that are important beyond all LINES 4-8
this fiddle.
Reading it, however, with a perfect contempt for it, one Hands that can grasp, eyes
that can dilate, hair that can rise

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if it must, these things are important not because a when they are "so derivative" (imitative) that they become
high-sounding interpretation can be put upon them but incomprehensible. In other words, poems can make a
because they are difference in the world only if readers can understand them.
useful. Indeed, the speaker says that no one "admire[s]" something
In lines 4-8, the poem illustrates what makes poetry "genuine." that they "cannot understand."
It mentions "Hands that can grasp, eyes / that can dilate, [and ] It's helpful to think of this part of the poem in terms of its
hair that can rise" as analogues
analogues—or effects—of real, "important" literary context. Moore was writing in 1919, toward the
poetry. In other words, poetry should evoke and provoke beginning of the Modernist movement. Modernists were fed up
visceral feelings. It should be as "useful" as the reader's natural with age-old literary conventions and determined to discover
instincts and should appeal to those instincts. new modes of expression. Their goal, as Ezra Pound famously
The par
parallelism
allelism in these lines creates rhythm and musicality, put it, was to "make it new." Hence the speaker's insistence on
but it also highlights what all these images have in common: the work that isn't "derivative": poets should constantly seek new
body. Again, the point is that poetry isn't a pure intellectual and original ways to express themselves. Yet while some
exercise; it's also intuitive and emotional. Indeed, the speaker Modernists took the idea of invention and experimentation to
says that: extremes, the speaker of this poem emphasizes the need for
poetry to be clear and comprehensible. Work doesn't have to
[...] these things are important not because a be overly complicated to be fresh and interesting.
Lines 9-11 are all enjambed
enjambed:
high-sounding interpretation can be put upon them
but because they are the same thing may be said for all of us, that we
useful. do not admire what
we cannot understand: [...]
To the speaker, writing poems isn't just about impressing
academics or other poets. Its aims should be more practical. The combination of enjambment and unusual line breaks
Lines 4-8 are all enjambed so that the poem gains momentum encourages the reader to read this passage quickly and
as the speaker describes how poetry can hold readers seamlessly, so that the effect is more prosaic than poetic.
spellbound—their hands gripping the book, eyes widening, and Moreover, words such as "derivative" and "unintelligible"
hair prickling. Yet notice how the shorter, punchier lines 4-5 belong more to an academic or critical vocabulary than a
yield to the looser, baggier lines 6-8. The language gets long- traditionally poetic one. By using these words in a poem about
winded again, sounding less like a poem and more like an writing authentic poetry, Moore demonstrates poetry's range
academic paper (the kind that might contain "high-sounding and flexibility: poems don't have to always sound lyrical.
interpretation"). These contrasting effects reinforce the idea Notice the colon in the middle of line 11, signaling that the
that poetry should sound the way it needs to sound to get a speaker is about to expand on the idea of no one liking what
point across. they can't understand.
They also demonstrate the poet's own range. Even as the poem LINES 11-15
resists sounding too perfect or controlled, it contains its own
subtle music. In addition to syllabic meter
meter, the poem uses the bat
occasional end rhrhymes
ymes, such as "eyes" and "rise" at the ends of holding on upside down or in quest of something to
lines 4 and 5. Fittingly, this rhyme intensifies the language just eat, elephants pushing, a wild horse taking a roll, a tireless
as the speaker is describing poetry's visceral impact. wolf under
a tree, the immovable critic twitching his skin like a horse
LINES 8-11 that feels a flea, the base-
When they become so derivative as to become unintelligible, ball fan, the statistician—
the same thing may be said for all of us, that we After the colon in line 11, the speaker presents a series of
do not admire what images involving animals:
we cannot understand:
The speaker says that when "Hands," "eyes," and "hair" grow "so [...] the bat
derivative as to become unintelligible" (inscrutable or holding on upside down or in quest of something to
meaningless), they become impossible to "admire." This seems
to refer to the way body parts and bodily attributes can eat, elephants pushing, a wild horse taking a roll, a
become vestigial—no longer useful to a species—over the tireless wolf under
course of evolution. By analogy
analogy, poems cease to be "useful" a tree, [...]

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Despite the colon, there's some ambiguity as to what these The speaker says "all these phenomena are important," but that
animals are meant to illustrate. Most likely, the speaker is listing nonetheless "One must make a distinction" between real
them as examples of "all of us" who "do not admire what / we poetry and the stuff that is popularized by "half poets." So even
cannot understand." But they could also be examples of "what / as the speaker argues that poetry can incorporate absolutely
we cannot understand." They might also be meant to illustrate any material, they warn that not everything masquerading as
how poetry can or should draw on the material world—things poetry actually is. Writing poetry, the speaker suggests,
one can actually observe—rather than abstract concepts. requires discipline—the ability not only to say something new
But the speaker doesn't limit themselves to animals; they also but also to say it as well as possible.
describe "the immovable critic twitching his skin like a horse Notice the choice of diction in these lines. Moore once again
that feels a flea." The simile here illustrates the critic's uses academic-sounding words and phrases, such as "nor is it
annoyance, perhaps suggesting the inadvisability of writing valid," "all these phenomena are important," and "One must
with critics in mind. If all he can feel is irritation, why bother make a distinction, however." This language is the opposite of
trying to impress him? The simile also echoes the description of lyrical and beautiful, illustrating the speaker's point that, in the
"a wild horse taking a roll," juxtaposing the freedom and hands of a capable poet, poetry can make room for
pleasure of the horse with the critic's lack of emotion. Perhaps anything—even "business documents and / school-books."
the speaker is hinting that poetry should be written from a wild
impulse—the desire to feel or express something. LINES 20-25
The speaker also includes in this list "the base- / ball fan" and nor till the poets among us can be
"the statistician." So while the speaker clearly finds the natural "literalists of
world a great source of inspiration, they're also suggesting that the imagination"—above
poets need not limit themselves to what has been written insolence and triviality and can present
about for centuries. Poets should seek inspiration everywhere, for inspection, "imaginary gardens with real toads in them,"
even in the unlikeliest of places. shall we
have it.
Notice the use of anaphor
anaphoraa (the repetition of "a" and "the") and
more general par
parallelism
allelism in these lines: Poets can write genuine poetry, the speaker argues, only if they
become "literalists of the imagination." This phrase alludes to
• "aa wild horse" and "aa tireless wolf" something the Modernist poet W. B. Yeats wrote about the
• "aa tree," "aa horse," and "aa flea" Romantic poet William Blake. Yeats claimed that Blake was "a
• "the
the base- / ball fan" and "thethe statistician" too literal realist of the imagination," and that:

These repetitions create energy and momentum while [...] because he believed that the figures seen by the
stressing that all these images are related. A "statistician" may mind's eye, when exalted by inspiration were 'eternal
not seem to have much in common with a "bat" looking for existences,' symbols of divine essences, he hated
"something to eat"—but both are on a kind of mission (to gather every grace of style that might obscure their
food or data), both are drawn to what they understand best, lineaments.
etc. The speaker effortlessly brings these disparate things into
the world of the poem, as if proving how flexible poetry really is. But Moore is on Blake's side here, not Yeats's. Her allusion
suggests that poets should be so carried away by their own
LINES 16-19 inner visions that they take them literally—that they can't treat
nor is it valid them as anything other than real. In other words, poets should
to discriminate against "business documents and take their imaginative lives seriously! The speaker also believes
school-books"; all these phenomena are important. One that poets should be "above insolence" (lack of respect) "and
must make a distinction triviality" (lack of seriousness). In other words, they should
however: when dragged into prominence by half poets, the write their work in earnest.
result is not poetry, The speaker adds that only when poets "can present / for
The speaker goes so far as to say that poets shouldn't inspection, 'imaginary gardens with real toads in them'" will
"discriminate against 'business documents and / school-books'" they succeed in making worthwhile poems. This metaphor has
in their poems. This is an allusion to the diary of Russian writer become famous. It suggests that poems shouldn't be purely
Leo Tolstoy, who wrote that "poetry is everything with the escapist; they shouldn't just focus on beautiful things or create
exception of business documents and school books." By idyllic fantasy worlds. They should create imaginative worlds
contrast, the speaker argues that there are no exceptions: that are grounded in reality—that contain unpleasant or funny
absolutely nothing is off-limits to a poem. or even dangerous elements, like "toads." (There may be some

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religious or mythological symbolism here: compare the toads in poetry can't just be intellectual. It has to come from someplace
these gardens with the snake in the Garden of Eden, for "genuine": the body and the heart, the poet's authentic
example.) emotions and experience.
Moore places quotation marks around "imaginary gardens with
real toads in them," but unlike the other quotations in the poem,
this phrase seems to be her own invention. However, it may
SYMBOLS
allude to Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows (1908).
This famous children's book, which Moore's whole family loved, GARDENS AND TOADS
features a "toad" who performs songs for an imaginary The speaker declares that poetry should be able to
audience—one he believes exists but is "not there at all." So create "imaginary gardens with real toads in them."
Moore might be hinting that poets need to keep real audiences These gardens should be able to withstand the close
in mind: audiences who will lose interest in their work if they "inspection" of readers and critics. Symbolically
Symbolically, gardens are
can't understand it. Even though poets should be "literalists of associated with growth, beauty, harmony, renewal, and so on,
the imagination," driven by their conviction in the things they whereas toads are associated with ugliness or humble
dream up, they shouldn't lose touch with reality. Something plainness. Toads can even be dangerous (poisonous) as well as
genuine should lie at the heart of even the most fantastical unsightly. Moore's standard, then, implies that poetry should be
"imaginary gardens." able to create beautiful imaginative worlds—but that beauty
LINES 25-29 alone isn't enough. Those imaginative worlds should also
reflect the ugly, dangerous, or just plain humble side of life.
In the meantime, if you demand on the one hand, They shouldn't be purely escapist; they should be "imaginary"
the raw material of poetry in but feel "real."
all its rawness and
that which is on the other hand Gardens can also symbolize the idyllic, as in the Greek myth of
genuine, you are interested in poetry. Arcadia or the biblical story of Eden. Moore's "toads," then,
might be the rough equivalent of the serpent in Eden: symbols
In the closing lines, the speaker summarizes the balance poets
of the evil or danger that lurks even within paradise. Or they
need to strike in order to write poems that resonate with
might reflect the comparable idea that death exists even in
readers—poems worthy of being called poetry.
Arcadia (a popular theme in Western art and literature). In
The speaker notes that, "on the one hand," poets have at their poetry, then, they are the elements that make the poet's
disposal "the raw material of poetry in / all its rawness." This imaginative vision feel grounded and "genuine."
phrase apparently refers to language itself, and all the literary
devices poets use to manipulate it. Language is crude in that it Where this symbol appears in the poem:
can only ever represent or evoke the real world. It's terribly
limited, yet it's the only "material" poets have to work with. • Lines 23-24: “and can present / for inspection,
"imaginary gardens with real toads in them,"”
But one can manipulate this material in all sorts of ways and
still fail to produce poetry. That's because poetry must also
contain "that which is on the other hand genuine." There has to
be something real in there, or the poem will feel empty and POETIC DEVICES
false—and therefore won't qualify as true poetry at all.
IRONY
Notice the use of repetition and par
parallelism
allelism in these final lines:
"Poetry" ironically begins with the speaker claiming to "dislike"
• the word "poetry" in lines 26 and 29 poetry. If they dislike poetry so much, the reader may wonder,
• "on
on the one hand
hand" (line 25) and "on
on the other hand
hand" then why are they writing a poem? This irony creates
(line 28) immediate intrigue and anticipation: the reader may continue
• "rraw" and "rrawness" in lines 26 and 27 reading just to find out more about this curious contradiction.
Ultimately, it becomes clear that it isn't really poetry that the
These devices add emphasis and structure to the passage. For speaker dislikes, but rather insincere "half poets" who are too
example, the phrase "on the one hand" and "on the other hand" busy showing off or mimicking other poets to make something
has several key effects. First, it's the language of rational of "genuine" value. When the speaker declares, "[T]here are
argument: the speaker is above all trying to persuade the reader. things that are important beyond all this fiddle," they're
Second, it suggests that writing poetry is a balancing act. Third, implying that poems should correspond to something real in the
the repetition of "hand" echoes the first stanza
stanza's description of real world—not become endlessly self-referential or overly
"Hands that can grasp." Once again, Moore emphasizes that

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involved in their own workings.
Where Metaphor appears in the poem:
The speaker also uses hyperbole in the second line, saying that
they read poetry "with a perfect contempt for it." Of course, if • Lines 4-6: “Hands that can grasp, eyes / that can
they really felt "perfect contempt" (i.e., scorn or disrespect) for dilate, hair that can rise / if it must”
poetry, why would they bother reading it at all? This • Lines 11-14: “the bat / holding on upside down or in
exaggeration conveys the speaker's frustration with poets who quest of something to / eat, elephants pushing, a wild
don't take their craft seriously, while suggesting that such horse taking a roll, a tireless wolf under / a tree, the
"insolence" (line 23) might completely alienate poetry's immovable critic twitching his skin like a horse that feels
a flea”
audience.
• Line 24: “imaginary gardens with real toads in them”

Where Iron
Ironyy appears in the poem:
REPETITION
• Lines 1-2: “I too, dislike it: there are things that are The poem contains a great deal of repetition and par
parallelism
allelism,
important beyond all this fiddle. / Reading it, however, which add rhythm, musicality, and emphasis to the language.
with a perfect contempt for it,”
Take the repetition of "it" in the first three lines, for example:
METAPHOR
I too, dislike it
it: there are things that are important
The speaker uses metaphors to illustrate the kind of "genuine" beyond all this fiddle.
poetry they want more of. For instance, lines 4-6 imply that Reading it it, however, with a perfect contempt for itit,
poems should resemble (or perhaps consider as their audience) one discovers in
"Hands that can grasp, eyes / that can dilate," and "hair that can it after all, a place for the genuine.
rise / if it must." As a metaphor or analogy for good poetry, this
suggests that poems should evoke—and/or provoke—visceral The reader knows that "it" refers to poetry because of the
emotions. poem's title, yet by refusing to say the word "poetry" in the first
In lines 11-14, the speaker says that people "do not admire few lines, the speaker subtly enacts the very "contempt" they're
what / [they] cannot understand," then expands on this idea describing. The sound of all those "its" has an almost prickly feel
with a series of images that may have metaphorical to it, evoking the speaker's distaste.
implications: There is also repetition and parallelism in lines 4-5:

[...] the bat, Hands that can grasp, eyes

holding on upside down or in quest of something to that can dilate, hair that can rise

eat, elephants pushing, a wild horse taking a roll, a Parallelism creates a pleasing cadence and suggests the
tireless wolf under similarity of all the things the speaker is describing. "Hands,"
a tree, [...] "eyes," and "hair" are all parts of the body that correlate to
sensation: holding a book, reading a poem, hair standing on end
These images are all of animals existing out in the world, from anticipation.
perhaps suggesting that poetry, too, should have a wildness
about it—should itself live and breathe and move. Yet the Similarly, there is both repetition and parallelism in lines 13-16:
speaker also invokes "the immovable critic twitching his skin the repetition of "horse," anaphor
anaphoraa (the repetition of "a" and
like a horse that feels / a flea." This simile might imply that "the"), and numerous parallel phrases:
critics barely feel anything at all, except occasional annoyance,
and therefore aren't the audience poets should have in mind • "a wild horse" and "a tireless wolf"
• "a tree," "a horse," "a flea"
when writing.
• "the base- / ball fan" and "the statistician"
In line 25, the speaker says that poets should ultimately strive
to create "imaginary gardens with real toads in them." This This extensive list of examples, set in parallel, emphatically
metaphor suggests that while poetry is an artificial product of illustrates the speaker's point: that poetry should correspond
language, the impetus that drives a poem should be "real." to things in the real world, things that ordinary people can
Poets shouldn't just toy around with rhythm, form, etc., for the understand and relate to.
sake of it—they should attempt to convey or provoke
And while the speaker may have avoided using the word
something "genuine."
"poetry" in the opening few lines, this isn't true in the fourth
stanza, where they repeat "poets" / "poetry" several times.

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(This repetition of words that share the same root is called The limitation of [Blake's] view was from the very
polyptoton
polyptoton). By this point, it's clear that the speaker doesn't intensity of his vision; he was a too literal realist of
really dislike poetry; they only dislike "half poets" (people who imagination, as others are of nature; and because he
seem to think poetry is a game meant to impress other poets or believed that the figures seen by the mind's eye,
critics). They actually seem quite happy to discuss poetry: the when exalted by inspiration were 'eternal existences,'
word comes up twice in the final stanza, too! symbols of divine essences, he hated every grace of
The final stanza also uses polyptoton: style that might obscure their lineaments.

the raw material of poetry in This allusion suggests that, like Blake, poets should be so
all its rawness convinced by or devoted to the things they see in their
imaginations that they shouldn't resort to mere "style" or tricks,
The repetition of "raw" / "rawness" drives home the idea that as these surface "trivialit[ies]" will only detract from their true
poets' "material"—language—is fairly rudimentary. In other "vision." Poets should instead write with real passion and
words, there's something clumsy and messy about all the words purpose; every choice they make should stem from deep
and devices writers have at their disposal. The only way to conviction about what they're trying to do.
imbue them with meaning is to remember the "genuine" things Finally, the speaker says that poets should aim to create
one is using them to represent. "imaginary gardens with real toads in them." This phrase
belongs to Moore herself; no source for the supposed
Where Repetition appears in the poem: quotation has ever been discovered. However, it may subtly
allude to Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows, a famous
• Line 1: “it” children's book that inspired some elaborate inside jok jokes
es in
• Line 2: “it,” “it” Moore's family. The book features a toad who was completely
• Line 3: “it,” “genuine” "mastered by his imagination" and whose "songs are all conceit
• Line 4: “that can” and boasting and vanity." So disconnected from reality was "Mr.
• Line 5: “that can,” “that can”
Toad" that he performed his songs for "an audience that was
• Line 8: “become,” “become”
not there at all." If Moore intended this allusion, it would echo
• Line 13: “a,” “horse,” “a”
the poem's argument that poetry shouldn't be all parlor tricks
• Line 14: “a,” “the,” “horse,” “the”
and pretty deception. (If it is, what's the point of it? Who is it
• Line 15: “the”
even for?)
• Line 19: “poets,” “poetry”
• Line 20: “poets”
• Line 26: “raw,” “poetry” Where Allusion appears in the poem:
• Line 27: “rawness” • Lines 17-18: “business documents and / school-books”
• Line 29: “genuine,” “poetry” • Lines 21-22: “literalists of / the imagination”
• Line 24: “imaginary gardens with real toads in them”
ALLUSION
"Poetry" contains several allusions that add depth to the ENJAMBMENT
poem's argument. Moore was well known for incorporating The poem's many enjambments give it a headlong, free-flowing
quotations into her poetry, and this poem is no exception. momentum. Many of the enjambed lines are quite long, so the
In lines 18-19, the speaker says that poets shouldn't lack of a pause following them makes the language look almost
"discriminate against 'business documents and / school-books" as loose as prose. Look at lines 2-3, for example:
in their poetry. This is a reference to the Russian writer Leo
Tolstoy, who wrote in his diary that "poetry is everything with Reading it, however, with a perfect contempt for it,
the exception of business documents and school books." Moore one discovers in
pushes back against this idea, suggesting that poetry knows no it after all, a place for the genuine.
such limitations. In other words, everything—including the
driest, most unpoetic material—is fodder for the poet's This wordy sentence practically spills over from line 2 to line 3;
imagination. the line break after "in" looks almost arbitrary, as if the poet
Lines 22-23 then challenge poets to be "literalists of / the only broke the line because the line couldn't hold anything else.
imagination." This phrase alludes to the Irish poet W. B. Yeats, Meanwhile, other enjambments seem to speed things up. Here
who, in writing about English Romantic poet William Blake, are lines 4-6:
argued
argued:

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Hands that can grasp, eyes overly complex explanation.
that can dilate, hair that can rise Unintelligible (Line 8) - Incomprehensible.
if it must [...]
Derivative (Line 8) - Imitative; trying to be like something else.
Here, enjambment emphasizes quick, instinctive actions: the Immovable (Line 14) - Unable to be moved emotionally;
reflexive dilation of "eyes" and the "ris[ing]" of hair. It also helps hardhearted; implacable.
produce an end rh rhyme
yme between "eyes" and "rise." Notice how Statistician (Lines 14-15) - A specialist in collecting, analyzing,
the poem then returns to longer, looser lines, still enjambed but and interpreting numerical data.
to very different effect:
Discriminate against (Lines 16-18) - Hold a bias or prejudice
against.
[...] these things are important not because a
Phenomena (Line 18) - Things, facts, or occurrences.
high-sounding interpretation can be put upon them Make a distinction (Lines 18-19) - Observe the difference(s)
but because they are between one thing and another.
useful
useful; [...] Prominence (Line 19) - Popularity or common knowledge.

As in lines 2-3, the enjambments here correspond with jam- Literalists (Lines 20-22) - People who interpret words,
packed, overflowing lines. Overall, the poem's enjambments phrases, etc. in their most straightforward or literal sense.
help illustrate the range of ways in which poets can manipulate "Literalists of the imagination" suggests people who recognize
language—for visual or dramatic effect, emotional impact, and the truth within imaginary worlds, or who can make imaginary
more. It's as if the poet is trying to prove how much poetry is worlds seem real.
capable of. Insolence (Lines 22-23) - Impertinence; lack of respect.
Triviality (Lines 22-23) - Frivolity; lack of seriousness or
Where Enjambment appears in the poem: significance.
• Lines 2-3: “in / it” Inspection (Lines 23-24) - Close scrutiny (here suggesting the
• Lines 5-6: “rise / if” analysis of the reader or critic).
• Lines 6-7: “a / high-sounding”
• Lines 7-8: “are / useful”
• Lines 9-10: “we / do” FORM, METER, & RHYME
• Lines 11-12: “bat / holding”
• Lines 12-13: “to / eat” FORM
• Lines 13-14: “under / a” "Poetry" consists of five stanzas, most of which are sestets (six-
• Lines 16-17: “valid / to” line stanzas
stanzas). In the 1921 version shown here—one of several
• Lines 17-18: “and / school-books” versions Moore published over the course of her career—the
• Lines 18-19: “distinction / however” third stanza has only five lines. The poem doesn't follow a
• Lines 20-21: “be / "literalists” traditional form, and in many ways is quite experimental. In that
• Lines 21-22: “of / the” way, it's characteristic both of Moore's poetry and the early
• Lines 22-23: “above / insolence” 20th-century modernist movement. Its long, prosaic, heavily
• Lines 23-24: “present / for” enjambed lines, cascading diagonally down the page, seem to
• Lines 24-25: “we / have” push the boundaries of what a poem can look or sound like.
• Lines 26-27: “in / all” Lines 14-15 even break in the middle of a word, a highly
• Lines 27-28: “and / that” unusual kind of enjambment. These effects help illustrate the
• Lines 28-29: “hand / genuine”
speaker's argument that nothing is outside the realm of poetry:
not even "business documents" or "school-books."
While many of the poem's lines are long and wordy, others are
VOCABULARY very short. These shorter lines provide contrast and
demonstrate the dynamic tools poets have at their disposal. All
Fiddle (Line 1) - Nonsense or deception.
in all, the poem's experimental form reflects the speaker's
Contempt (Line 2) - Disdain or disgust. desire to expand the definition of poetry, even while arguing
Dilate (Lines 4-5) - Expand (referring particularly to the that poems should above all engage with something "genuine."
expansion of the pupils, as in dim lighting conditions).
High-sounding interpretation (Lines 6-7) - A pompous or

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METER seriously. Basically, they're a poet who "demand[s]" that poetry
"Poetry" is written in syllabic meter
meter, meaning that there are a be written in earnest.
certain number of syllables per line rather than a certain
number or pattern of stresses. So, for instance, the first line of
each stanza contains exactly 19 syllables—although
SETTING
subsequent lines are less exact. The second line of every stanza, The poem has no physical setting
setting; it takes place entirely in the
for example, has between 19 and 22 syllables, except for line 25 speaker's mind as they express their frustration and hopes for
in the last stanza, which contains only 14 syllables; the third poetry. When they do point to the physical world, it is only as an
line of each stanza has between 10 and 12 syllables, except for example of the "raw material" the poet has at their disposal.
line 15 in stanza 3, which has only 7 syllables; and so on. This material includes not only traditional poetic inspiration,
(Moore revised "Poetry" heavily throughout her career, and such as the world of animals and nature, but also "the base- /
some versions of the poem follow a more strict syllabic pattern ball fan, the statistician," and "business documents and / school-
than others.) books." Basically, the speaker argues that nothing is off-limits to
The overall effect of syllabic meter is that it feels more relaxed poetry, as long as it's used in service of something "genuine,"
and unencumbered than accentual meter, but more structured something that matters.
and rhythmic than free vverse
erse. Its use here seems to reflect the
speaker's philosophy: namely, that poets should take poetry
more seriously, but shouldn't shy from the unconventional in CONTEXT
their poems. Moore used syllabics often in her poems and
helped popularize the technique in 20th-century poetry. LITERARY CONTEXT
One of America's most recognizable poets, Marianne Moore
RHYME SCHEME wrote "Poetry" in 1919, a couple of years before the
Although there are some subtle end rh rhymes
ymes throughout the publication of her first book. She would go on to revise the
poem, "Poetry" doesn't follow a consistent rh rhyme
yme scheme
scheme. In poem many times, and famously cut all but the first three lines
most stanzas
stanzas, the fourth and fifth lines form either a perfect or in her 1967 The Complete Poems of Marianne Moore. This radical
imperfect rhyme: "eyes"/"rise," "what"/"bat," "of"/"above," revision spurred controversy among readers who knew and
"and"/"hand." The pattern breaks in the third stanza, however, admired the original poem.
which has only five lines rather than six. (These choices reflect In a 2009 Slate article
article, poet Robert Pinsky reflects on Moore's
Moore's various revisions of the poem: in an earlier version, "Poetry":
this stanza had six lines, and "valid" rhymed with "did.")
Meanwhile, the other lines in each stanza are unrhymed. Moore, as I understand her project, champions both
The poem's lack of a strict rh
rhyme
yme pattern contributes to its clarity and complexity, rejecting the shallow notion
looser, more prosaic feel. It has some musicality, but it resists that they are opposites. Scorning a middlebrow
traditional poetic rhythms and sounds. It seems to want reduction of everything into easy chunks, she also
readers to question their assumptions about what belongs in a scorns obfuscation and evasive cop-outs. Tacitly
poem, so it avoids the orderly and predictable. impatient with complacency and bluffing, deriding
the flea-bitten critic, unsettling the too-ordinary
reader, she sets forth an art that is irritable,
SPEAKER attentive, and memorably fluid.
The speaker of "Poetry" can be interpreted as Moore herself,
Beyond this poem, too, Moore's work is known for its keen
since the poem directly addresses what the point of "all this
intelligence, meticulous and almost scientifically precise
fiddle" (poetry) is. The speaker is using a poem to confess their
descriptions, and diligent observations of both the human and
"dislike" of poetry, as well as their belief in its ability to express
animal world. Moore also frequently incorporated vastly
something "real" or "genuine," so it's safe to say the speaker and
different kinds of quotation in her work, so that many consider
poet are one and the same.
her the inventor of "collage" poetry. "Poetry," which challenges
That said, this isn't a poem about the speaker's life. It's about poets to write more "genuine" poetry while still demanding that
poetry! The speaker provides many opinions about the art poetry be rigorous and innovative, showcases all of these
form, but no personal detail. (Though the many animal inclinations.
references here—the "bat," etc.—reflect Moore's famous,
Moore is generally considered a modernist poet, alongside
lifelong love of animals.) The speaker believes pretentious "half
such contemporaries as T.S. Eliot
Eliot, H.D
H.D.., William Carlos Williams
Williams,
poets" are turning the craft into a circus rather than taking it
and Ezr
Ezraa P
Pound
ound. The Imagists
Imagists, in particular, considered her

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their own, but Moore distinguished her work from theirs in that
she still valued meter and rh
rhyme
yme in her work—even though she MORE RESOUR
RESOURCES
CES
thought there was much more to poetry than its ability to sound
like poetry. In fact, Moore skillfully walked the line between EXTERNAL RESOURCES
traditional and untraditional, finding ways to innovate within • Re
Revising
vising "P
"Poetry"
oetry" — Read about Moore's complicated
familiar structures. For instance, her famous use of syllabic relationship to her own poem, including her many
meter (where lines contain a set number of syllables rather revisions over the years. (http:/
(http://www
/www.slate.com/articles/
.slate.com/articles/
than accents) was uncommon in the English tradition, but in arts/poem/2009/06/marianne_moores_poetry
arts/poem/2009/06/marianne_moores_poetry.html) .html)
Romance languages was quite ordinary. For her own part, • A Reading of the PPoem
oem — "Poetry" read aloud by actress
Moore considered the poet Edith Sitwell an enormous Kathy Bates. (https:/
(https://www
/www..youtube.com/watch?v=ifRn-
influence on her interest in and experimentation with rhythm. FbS6bY)
Later, Moore became a friend and mentor to Elizabeth BishopBishop,
whose style drew on Moore's in some ways. • A Biogr
Biograph
aphyy of the P
Poet
oet — Learn more about Marianne
Moore at the Poetry Foundation.
Though her work gained steadily in popularity over the course
(https:/
(https://www
/www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/marianne-
.poetryfoundation.org/poets/marianne-
of her lifetime, Moore distanced herself from the literary scene. moore
moore))
She had literary friends who went out of their way to help her
get published, yet she continued to turn to her mother for • The Purpose of P Poetry
oetry — Moore isn't the only poet to try
revision advice. All in all, Moore was deeply conflicted about to define what poetry is and why it's important. Here are
poetry and often preferred baseball-watching and museum- 20 other poets on the same subject.
going to the literary world in which she became a recluctant (https:/
(https://www
/www.fla
.flavvorwire.com/413949/20-poets-on-the-
star. "Poetry" speaks clearly to this ambivalence, as the speaker meaning-of-poetry)
admits that they—like many people—"dislike" poetry, but argues • Marianne Moore: A Reluctant P Poet
oet — Learn more about
for the importance of authentic and disciplined verse. the fascinating figure who "prefer[red] baseball, museums
and circuses to literature." (https:/
(https://buffalonews.com/
/buffalonews.com/
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
lifestyles/web-e
lifestyles/web-extr
xtra-holding-on-upside-down-a-life-of-
a-holding-on-upside-down-a-life-of-
"Poetry" was first published in 1919, a year after the end of poet-s-poet-marianne-moore/
World War I and a year before the passage of the 19th article_61409f3d-2ab7-54bb-a1e8-115a85ffda31.html)
Amendment, which gave women in the United States the right
to vote. Moore was active in the women's suffrage movement; • A Moore Documentary — Watch a short film on Moore's
life and work. (https:/
(https://www
/www..youtube.com/
she wrote letters to local newspapers, sometimes submitting
watch?v=EHw-9EEMowU)
anonymously and other times using a pseudonym. But the
poem itself makes no direct reference to these seismic
historical events; instead, it focuses wholeheartedly on the
nature and purpose of poetry.
HOW T
TO
O CITE
At the same time, the context of WWI, women's suffrage, and
MLA
other events of the period (such as the 1918-1920 flu
pandemic
pandemic) lend real gravitas to the speaker's statement that Mottram, Darla. "Poetry." LitCharts. LitCharts LLC, 14 Oct 2022.
"there are things that are important beyond all this fiddle." Web. 2 Nov 2022.
Moore was profoundly aware that poetry can seem rather CHICAGO MANUAL
silly—even pretentious—in the face of more pressing
"phenomena." Yet at the end of the day, she was pulled back to Mottram, Darla. "Poetry." LitCharts LLC, October 14, 2022.
Retrieved November 2, 2022. https://www.litcharts.com/poetry/
poetry again and again as a mode for "genuine" expression. It
marianne-moore/poetry.
might not be the most important thing in the world, "Poetry"
argues, but it serves a real purpose.

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