A verbless poem is 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
editReferences
edit- ^ "From A Poet's Glossary: Verbless Poetry | Academy of American Poets". www.poets.org. Retrieved 2015-12-28.
- ^ Hirsch, Edward 'A Poet's Glossary', Houghton Mifflin London 2012 ISBN 9780151011957
- ^ Jespersen, Otto, 'Role of the Verb, Selected Writings'. 1912 ISBN 9780203857199
- ^ Hearn, Lafcadio 'Lecture' Imperial University, Tokyo, Japan
External links
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