Imagery in Poetry

In one of the poem’s most striking images, Moore proposes the goal for poetic creation: “imaginary gardens with real toads in them.” The gardens are the landscape in the reader’s mind in which the poem unfolds. The “real toads” represent the objects the poet hopes to evoke: not literally real, but as vivid as language can render. Of all things, Moore chooses the toad for its peculiarity. The “real toads” are all the more vivid and particular in our minds for their strangeness.

The image of the critic gets to the heart of the poem’s claim. The critic is “immovable” in the sense of being unable to be moved emotionally. The critic is too busy with the pursuit of “high-minded interpretation.” However, the critic is nonetheless “twinkling his skin”: a skin-tingling sensation overtakes him as he reads. Even for the critic there is “a place for the genuine,” for pure feeling.