A Jelly-Fish

The poem presents Moore’s characteristic use of syllabics instead of stress-accented meter, as each of the poem’s six end rhymes (charm/arm [Lines 2, 4]; meant/intent [Lines 8, 12]; blue/you [Lines 16, 20]) are the final syllables of six 14-syllable units. However, within this almost invisible formal net, the line length is varied to create different effects. The opening four lines—between eight and six syllables—are a fairly standard length used by Emily Dickinson, with the rhymes falling on alternate lines. The shorter lines, which then take over the poem from Line 5 onwards, mark out Moore’s experimental status and generate a rapidly pulsing rhythm that mimics the action of the jellyfish. In the lines’ use of enjambement to create unpredictable pauses (for example: “It opens and it / Closes and you / Reach for it –” [Lines 13-15]), they anticipate the syncopated rhythms of Eliot and the jazz poetry of Langston Hughes. However, Moore shows her unwillingness to entirely abandon the traditions of lyric poetry; end rhymes still feature throughout the rest of the poem. The rhymes’ separation by a greater number of shorter lines gives them a surprising, elusive quality, mirroring the poem’s themes.