Here is an excerpt from Marianne Moore's "Poetry" in which Moore expresses her dislike for poorly written poems. What does Moore mean when she says "imaginary gardens with real toads in them" in this excerpt?
Answers
When Marianne Moore mentions "imaginary gardens with real toads in them" in her poem “Poetry” she is trying to extend her basic logic in her poem that addresses poets who take to using different raw materials to write their pomes about. She says, when poets use abstract objects or notions which the readers of the poems cannot understand, then they don’t like them. This thread is there right from the first line where Moore says “I, too, dislike it”. Her suggestion is that poetry must have some imagery but must have things closer to reality as well for people to appreciate its full creativity.
In the excerpt, "imaginary gardens with real toads in them" Marianne Moore is trying to say that in poetry authors takes the support of the abstract concept to explain the real emotions or working.
She says that reality and imagination can be contrasted with each other since they show the true emotions, and reality.