▁four teen ▁words ▁typ ifies ▁Im ag ism ' s ▁focus ▁on ▁economy ▁of ▁language , ▁precision ▁of ▁imag ery ▁and ▁experiment ing ▁with ▁non - trad itional ▁verse ▁forms . ▁The ▁poem ▁is ▁P ound ’ s ▁written ▁equivalent ▁for ▁the ▁moment ▁of ▁revel ation ▁and ▁inten se ▁em otion ▁he ▁felt ▁at ▁the ▁Paris ▁Metro ' s ▁Con cor de ▁station . ▁▁ ▁The ▁poem ▁is ▁essentially ▁a ▁set ▁of ▁images ▁that ▁have ▁unexpected ▁li ken ess ▁and ▁convey ▁the ▁rare ▁em otion ▁that ▁P ound ▁was ▁experien cing ▁at ▁that ▁time . ▁Ar gu ably ▁the ▁heart ▁of ▁the ▁poem ▁is ▁not ▁the ▁first ▁line , ▁nor ▁the ▁second , ▁but ▁the ▁mental ▁process ▁that ▁links ▁the ▁two ▁together . ▁" In ▁a ▁poem ▁of ▁this ▁sort ," ▁as ▁P ound ▁explained , ▁" one ▁is ▁trying ▁to ▁record ▁the ▁precise ▁instant ▁when ▁a ▁thing ▁out ward ▁and ▁objective ▁transform s ▁itself , ▁or ▁d arts ▁into ▁a ▁thing ▁in ward ▁and ▁subject ive ." ▁ ▁Like ▁other ▁modern ist ▁artists ▁of ▁the ▁period , ▁P ound ▁found ▁insp iration ▁in ▁Japanese ▁art , ▁but ▁the ▁t endency ▁was ▁to ▁re - make ▁and ▁to ▁m eld ▁cultural ▁styles ▁rather ▁than ▁to ▁copy ▁directly ▁or ▁s lav ish ly . ▁He ▁may ▁have ▁been ▁inspired ▁by ▁a ▁Su zu ki ▁Har un ob u ▁print ▁he ▁almost ▁certainly ▁saw ▁in ▁the ▁British ▁Library ▁( Rich ard ▁Ald ington ▁mentions ▁the ▁specific ▁prints ▁he ▁matched ▁to ▁verse ), ▁and ▁probably ▁attempted