Anastrophe is a focused form of inversion that alters a familiar grammatical sequence, as in “the sky dark” instead of “the dark sky.” Because the reversal is noticeable, it draws attention to the displaced word and can give a line an elevated, archaic, or dramatic tone. Poets use anastrophe to meet metrical or rhyming demands, but its purpose is often expressive as well. The unusual order may suspend meaning briefly, stress an image, or make speech sound ceremonial, passionate, or strange.

Anastrophe can foreground an image or create a heightened, archaic, or songlike cadence: “Bright was the moon” instead of “The moon was bright.” Inversion should serve emphasis, meter, or voice; excessive use can make syntax needlessly obscure. It is one form of hyperbaton, the broader disruption of normal word order.