In this simple poem, Pound describes the appearance of the face of a subway station. It is unknown whether he is writing on the train itself or on the platform from the passenger's point of view. The setting is Paris, France, and the station is very crowded because he describes these faces as "crowds". He likens these faces to "black wet branch petals," suggesting that on dark subway platforms, people appear to have petals sticking to tree branches after a rainy night. Start with that image. The central image of the faces as petals is clear and simple, and can instantly be visualized. It draws together the urban world of the Paris Metro with the natural world, the world of leaves and tree boughs. Start with that image. The central image of the faces as petals is clear and simple, and can instantly be visualized. It draws together the urban world of the Paris Metro with the natural world, the world of leaves and tree boughs. However, the conciseness of this poem is consistent with its subject. When reading, words scroll quickly, much like the subway instantly leaves the platform. The door opens quickly, the sea of faces appears and then closes-the face disappears in a blink of an eye. The length and fast pace of this poem are in line with the constant movement of high-speed trains. Although short, this poem is very sensory in nature. It allows the reader to imagine the scene by reading the line. He can evoke a temporary tone, thanks to Pound's economic description of these faces as "petals on black wet branches." This poem is also a clear example of imaginative style. Victorian poets frequently used floral adjectives and long explanations in their poems. Still, Pound uses the modernist approach to "at the subway station" and uses only a few descriptive words to convey his claim (no verbs). Pound uses the word "phantom". This is a ghostly person from another world that disappears in an instant. Using that word, Pound reveals a surprise to see this face sea as the subway door opens. It fills him with awe and surprise for a moment. Image impermanence also gives the poem a melancholy tone, as if Pound was pondering the vulnerabilities of life. Pound connects images of petals and branches to human massesconnecting artificial metropolis scenes to the natural cycle. The use of Pound's live metaphor is added to the fleeting tones of this poem. Flowers and trees are constantly moving, growing and changing, like humans in the subway. This short glance from the subway door is the only time this group of people will be like now. Similarly, the petals will not be exactly the same as it rains, the winter freezes, and new buds bloom.
