Literary Devices in Poetry

The verb “dragged” applies to the “phenomena” listed in the previous stanza. The contrast between these two words is striking: “phenomena” means “ideas”; “dragged” implies moving heavy objects. Moore’s diction here conveys the speaker’s broadest claim that poetry ought to render its subjects “real” in the mind. The purpose of poetry is to make ideas into objects, to give them weight.

In an intriguing use of enjambment, Moore leaves the word “tireless” hanging at the end of the line right after the description of the wild horse’s “roll.” This associatively evokes the roll of a tire, even though “tireless” means something else entirely given the context provided in the next line.

Notice that the speaker lists many things that constitute the genuine subjects of poetry. However, she lists them without adding poetic descriptions to them. This type of list underscores her point: with a genuine subject and the raw material of poetry, she can create an image in the mind of her reader rather than creating a complicated metaphor onto which the reader can place overwrought interpretation. This list can be read as a metaphysical moment in which the speaker enacts the type of poetic expression for which she advocates.