Analysis of Phanopoeia

Ezra Pound 1885 (Hailey) – 1972 (Venice)



I
ROSE WHITE, YELLOW, SILVER

The swirl of light follows me through the square,
The smoke of incense
Mounts from the four horns of my bed-posts,
The water-jet of gold light bears us up through the ceilings;
Lapped in the gold-coloured flame I descend through the æther.
The silver ball forms in my hand,
It falls and rolls to your feet.

II
SALTUS
The swirling sphere has opened
and you are caught up to the skies,
You are englobed in my sapphire.
Io! Io!

You have perceived the blades of the flame
The flutter of sharp-edged sandals.

The folding and lapping brightness
Has held in the air before you.
You have perceived the leaves of the flame.

III
CONCAVA VALLIS
The wire-like bands of colour involute mount from my fingers;
I have wrapped the wind round your shoulders
And the molten metal of your shoulders
bends into the turn of the wind,

AOI!
The whirling tissue of light
is woven and grows solid beneath us;
The sea-clear sapphire of air, the sea-dark clarity,
stretches both sea-cliff and ocean.


Scheme AB XCXXBXX ACXXBX DX EXD AXFFFX GXEGX
Poetic Form
Metre 1 111010 0111101101 01101 110111111 01011111111010 1001101101101 01011011 1101111 1 1 0101110 01111101 11101100 1010 110101101 01011110 01001010 11001011 110101101 1 110 0101111111110 111011110 0010101110 10101101 10 010111 1100110011 01110011011100 10111010
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 980
Words 180
Sentences 11
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 2, 7, 6, 2, 3, 6, 5
Lines Amount 31
Letters per line (avg) 26
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 113
Words per stanza (avg) 25
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 19, 2023

54 sec read
98

Ezra Pound

Ezra Weston Loomis Pound was an American expatriate poet and critic of the early modernist movement. more…

All Ezra Pound poems | Ezra Pound Books

36 fans

Discuss this Ezra Pound poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Phanopoeia" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/13318/phanopoeia>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    11
    hours
    47
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    The opposite of poetry is _______.
    A Somnolence
    B Literalism
    C Verse
    D Prose