Ezra Pound ​was one of the most influential and controversial poets of the 20th century. A master of innovation and a champion of modernist literature, Pound’s legacy extends far beyond his own poetry. He shaped the careers of T.S. Eliot, James Joyce, and Robert Frost, and his editorial influence helped define modernist aesthetics.

This article explores 50 of Ezra Pound’s most important and famous poems. It offers a guide to his evolving style—from imagism to epic poetry—and highlights why his work remains essential to understanding the modernist movement.

Who Was Ezra Pound?

Ezra Pound (1885–1972) was an American expatriate poet, critic, translator, and editor. Known for his bold literary experiments and controversial political views, Pound had a significant impact on modern poetry. He is perhaps best known for promoting imagism—a movement favoring clarity, precision, and economy of language—and for his vast, complex epic The Cantos.

Whether short, lyrical pieces or grand, ambitious works, Pound’s poems demonstrate a remarkable range of form, tone, and theme.

The Importance of Ezra Pound in Modern Poetry

• Innovator of poetic form: Pound rejected Victorian verbosity in favor of direct expression.

• Translator and cultural bridge: He brought Chinese, Japanese, Provencal, and classical texts into English.

• Mentor to great writers: Pound helped shape the work of T.S. Eliot, James Joyce, and H.D.

• The Cantos as a modern epic: Comparable in ambition to Homer and Dante.

Imagism and Early Works

1. In a Station of the Metro (1913)

One of the defining poems of imagism. Just two lines long, it captures a fleeting impression in vivid imagery:

“The apparition of these faces in the crowd;
Petals on a wet, black bough.”

2. The Return

Explores myth and lost power. Evocative and haunting.

3. A Girl

A lyrical interpretation of a Greek myth, likely referencing Daphne.

4. Alba

An imagist love poem that is both sensuous and minimal.

5. The River-Merchant’s Wife: A Letter

A free translation of a poem by Li Bai. Blends Chinese lyricism with English voice.

6. Portrait d’une Femme

A critical, ironic portrayal of a woman involved in intellectual society.

7. Salutation

A bold manifesto celebrating life, energy, and youth.

8. Ts’ai Chi’h

Another Chinese-inspired piece, focused on the richness of ancient thought.

9. Liu Ch’e

Tender and mysterious, this poem reflects on impermanence.

10. Fan-Piece, for Her Imperial Lord

A brief and elegant poem based on a Chinese court lyric.

Middle Period: From Imagism to Vorticism

11. Hugh Selwyn Mauberley (1920)

A complex and ironic self-portrait. It marks the end of Pound’s imagist phase and critiques the British literary scene and post-WWI society.

12. Sestina: Altaforte

A violent and emotional monologue by a medieval troubadour, filled with the theme of war.

13. The Garden

A modern social commentary on class and disillusionment.

14. The Bellaires

Satirizes British aristocratic life with sharp imagery and dialogue.

15. To Whistler, American

A tribute to James McNeill Whistler, reflecting on aesthetics and art.

16. Shop Girl

A brief modern sketch on urban life and gender.

17. Papal Blessing

Witty and irreverent, dealing with the hypocrisy of religious institutions.

18. Coda

Reflects on time and decay using a musical metaphor.

19. The Needle

A dark, symbolic piece rooted in pain and love.

20. Provincia Deserta

Conveys a sense of spiritual and physical desolation in the modern age.

Later Works and the Epic Vision

21. Canto I

Begins with a translation of Homer and sets a mythic tone.

22. Canto II

Continues mythic allusion, especially to Dionysus and the sea.

23. Canto XLV (With Usura)

A sharp indictment of economic injustice:

“With usura hath no man a house of good stone…”

24. Canto LXXXI

One of the most personal Cantos. Reflects on poetry, beauty, and redemption.

“What thou lovest well remains,
the rest is dross…”

25. Canto CXVI

Incomplete, meditative, and filled with regret. Pound pleads for forgiveness:

“I cannot make it cohere.”

Translations and Adaptations

26. Homage to Sextus Propertius

A loose “translation” of Latin love poetry, filled with modern satire.

27. Exile’s Letter

Based on Chinese poet Rihaku (Li Bai). Celebrates friendship and nostalgia.

28. Ballad of the Goodly Fere

A folk-style poem portraying Jesus as a rugged man among men.

29. The Seafarer

Translation of an Old English elegy, full of loneliness and longing.

30. So-Shu

Another Chinese-inspired lyric, dreamlike and philosophical.

Shorter and Lesser-Known Gems

31. The Beautiful Toilet

A metaphor for aging and decay, drawn from classical Chinese themes.

32. Apparuit

A mystical poem celebrating beauty and divine revelation.

33. The Alchemist

Symbolic and eerie, exploring transformation.

34. Villanelle: The Psychological Hour

A complex poem combining modern imagery with an old form.

35. Meditatio

Philosophical and reflective, on language and time.

36. Commission

A poem of departure and promise, elegant in tone.

37. Les Millwin

Satirizes fashionable, meaningless conversation.

38. Ancient Music

Playful and bawdy, mimicking the sound of medieval English lyrics.

39. The Seeing Eye

A philosophical reflection on vision and understanding.

40. Winter: U.S.A.

Pound’s critique of modern American values through wintry imagery.

Personal and Philosophical Reflections

41. Moeurs Contemporaines

A cynical examination of early 20th-century manners.

42. Dogmatic Statement of a Certain Style

Discusses poetic craft and aesthetic clarity.

43. Ad Lectorem

Latin title meaning “To the Reader.” A direct and ironic address.

44. The Tea Shop

A quiet, sorrowful poem set in a public space of intimacy.

45. Saïs

Short and obscure, layered with Egyptian mythology.

46. Women Before a Shop

Social commentary meets precise visual description.

47. Gentildonna

A lyrical tribute to noble femininity.

48. Xenia

Reflective, personal, and subtle.

49. Ione, Dead the Long Year

A quiet elegy mourning lost love.

50. Pax Saturni

Explores peace and cosmic balance in Pound’s later mythic style.

Conclusion

Ezra Pound’s work spans decades, continents, and traditions. His poems are complex, often difficult, and always rewarding. He challenged the very structure of English poetry, and his work still sparks debate and admiration.

To know these 50 poems is to trace the evolution of modern poetry—from the clear-cut images of early imagism to the dense, mythic complexity of The Cantos. Whether you are a student, a poet, or a lover of literature, these works offer insight into language, culture, and the artistic vision of a poet who refused to stand still.