Imagery

Literary Technique: Imagery

Poem Example:
"Au Vieux Jardin"

By Richard Aldington

I have sat here happy in the gardens,
Watching the still pool and the reeds
And the dark clouds
Which the wind of the upper air
Tore like the green leafy boughs
Of the divers-hued trees of late summer;
But though I greatly delight
In these and the water-lilies,
That which sets me nighest to weeping
Is the rose and white color of the smooth flag-stones,
And the pale yellow grasses
Among them.


Biographical Information: Richard Aldington was prominent in several literary capacities; most notably as a founding poet of the Imagist movement and as a novelist who conveyed the horror of World War I through his written works. He was also a prolific critic, translator, and essayist. Though he considered his novels to be his most important works, he received much critical attention for his biographies of such contemporaries as Lawrence of Arabia and D. H. Lawrence.

Explanation of Technique: Imagery is the name given to the elements in a poem that spark off the senses. Despite "image" being a synonym for "picture", images need not be only visual; any of the five senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell) can respond to what a poet writes. This poem uses imagery by including small descriptive details and words that cause the reader to picture an old garden around a pond full of flowers.

Interpretation of Poem: The narrator of this poem is spending his afternoon in an old garden, watching the tiny detail that would be glanced over by the dismissive eye. He is content and happy with the garden, even if it is old or small. He notes the subtle hues in the flowers and water. However, he loves the warm shade of the smooth stones on the path and pale grasses that grow between them the most.

Visual Representation:

Explanation of Visual: This picture represents the poem because it includes several elements and objects that are in the poem, such as the pond, garden, and colorful flowers. The picture also has a very soothing mood in it, and entices people to come and relax in the garden, like the poem does.

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