Vocabulary 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.

The noun “insolence” means having a prideful, haughty, or overbearing disposition. It generally describes a person’s behavior that makes apparent their contempt for inferiors. The noun “triviality” means the quality of being common or basic. Using these two disdainful nouns to refer to the autocrats’ behavior, the speaker implies that these “half-poets” have overwhelming flaws of character that they must contend with in order to make good poetry.

An “autocrat” is a person who has absolute controlling authority or influence. An “autocrat” is also an absolute monarch or ruler. The use of this word suggests that those who consume art and have the influence to control culture are not only unimaginative but despotic.