In a Station of the Metro

Pound, though briefly, embraced Imagism stating that it was an important step away from the verbose style of Victorian literature and suggested that it "is the sort of American stuff I can show here in Paris without its being ridiculed".

[5] "In a Station of the Metro" is an early work of Modernist poetry as it attempts to "break from the pentameter", incorporates the use of visual spacing as a poetic device, and does not contain any verbs.

Pound's process of deletion from thirty lines[6] to only fourteen words typifies Imagism's focus on economy of language, precision of imagery and experimenting with non-traditional verse forms.

The poem is Pound's written equivalent for the moment of revelation and intense emotion he felt at the Paris Metro's Concorde station.

"[8] Like other modernist artists of the period, Pound found inspiration in Japanese art, but the tendency was to re-make and to meld cultural styles rather than to copy directly or slavishly.

Colour print of a finely-dressed Japanese woman holding a lantern at night, admiring the plum blossoms.
Rupert Richard Arrowsmith posited that Pound may have been inspired by this ukiyo-e print he saw in the British Library .
Woman Admiring Plum Blossoms at Night , Suzuki Harunobu , 18th century