Symbol Analysis
Did you notice all the images of movement in the poem? "Dance" is only referred to once, but it's important for helping us understand the idea of sound matching sense. This poem insists that movement in poetry, as in dance, is central to the art.
- Line 1: The poet introduces the simile of ease of movement in writing in terms of a learned dancer's graceful movements. We get a bunch of other movement-related words, including:
- Line 5: blows
- Line 6: flows
- Line 7: Surges, lash
- Line 11: swift, scours
- Line 12: flies, skims
- Line 14: fall, rise