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luminous phrase

Device
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A vivid, luminous expression within a poem that stands out for its striking imagery, emotional resonance, or sonic beauty.

Detailed Definition
A luminous phrase is a strikingly vivid or radiant expression that illuminates a poem through its imagery, sound, or emotional clarity; Keats’s “a thing of beauty is a joy forever” and Neruda’s “I want to do with you what spring does with the cherry trees” exemplify language that glows with sensuous and conceptual brilliance.
Example
Example in poetry:
Keats: “A thing of beauty is a joy forever”; Dickinson: “There is no Frigate like a Book”; Yeats: “That is no country for old men”; Neruda: “I want to do with you what spring does with the cherry trees”
Additional Notes
A luminous phrase is a striking, image-rich expression that radiates emotional or sensory intensity—often becomes the poem’s focal point; valued in Imagist and Symbolist traditions for its evocative power.
Also Known As
Radiant expression glowing phrase luminous imagery incandescent wording Glowing line radiant verse line golden phrase
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