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Poetic Device · Reference

Polysyndeton

A move poets keep coming back to.

What is polysyndeton in poetry? It's a technique where a conjunction — typically "and," "or," or "but" — is repeated between each item in a list or series, rather than just using a comma between most of them and reserving the conjunction for the final pair.

Definition

In standard English punctuation, you would write: "I bought apples, oranges, and pears." With polysyndeton, it becomes: "I bought apples and oranges and pears." That additional "and" isn't a grammatical error; it’s a deliberate choice that transforms the emotional impact of the line.

The effect can vary based on the context, but two things usually happen. First, the rhythm slows down. Each conjunction acts as a brief pause, a beat, which forces the reader to pause on every item before moving to the next. Second, the list appears open-ended, even infinite. A typical list signals its conclusion with the final comma followed by the conjunction, letting readers know the end is near. Polysyndeton eliminates that cue, suggesting that the series could continue indefinitely. This sense of accumulation — of things stacking up without pause — is precisely what poets aim for when they want to convey feelings of being overwhelmed, abundant, or relentless.

Polysyndeton appears in ecstatic catalogues (Walt Whitman is a master of this), in expressions of grief, in prayers, and in any situation where a poet wants the reader to appreciate the weight of each individual item instead of allowing the list to blend into a single impression.

Examples of Polysyndeton in poetry

From the corpus · I to IX.
  1. I.from the corpus

    And now there came both mist and snow, And it grew wondrous cold: And ice, mast-high, came floating by, As green as emerald.

    Why this works

    Each of the first three lines opens with "And," chaining together three successive clauses — the arrival of mist and snow, the growing cold, and the appearance of ice — without a single comma-separated list, exemplifying polysyndeton's hallmark of placing a conjunction before every item rather than reserving it for the final one.

    from Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
  2. II.from the corpus

    I too lived, Brooklyn of ample hills was mine, I too walk'd the streets of Manhattan island, and bathed in the waters around it, I too felt the curious abrupt questionings stir within me,

    Why this works

    The repeated phrase 'I too' acts like a connector, and throughout the lines, Whitman uses 'and' to keep the catalogue alive. This polysyndeton fosters intimacy: every additional detail offers another link between the speaker and the future reader. No experience is more important than another. Each moment gets its own space before the next one comes along.

    from Crossing Brooklyn Ferry by Walt Whitman
  3. III.from the corpus

    Ever and ever yet the verses owning--as, first, I here and now Signing for Soul and Body, set to them my name,

    Why this works

    The repeated "and" in "Ever and ever" and "Soul and Body" — rather than a single coordinating conjunction at the end — is classic polysyndeton, slowing the line's rhythm and giving each paired element equal grammatical and emotional weight.

    from Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
  4. IV.from the corpus

    And discorrupt them, and charge them full with the charge of the Soul.

    Why this works

    Whitman repeats "and" before each verb in the series ("and discorrupt them, and charge them"), placing a conjunction between every linked element rather than using a comma before the final item — the defining move of polysyndeton — which creates a cumulative, incantatory rhythm that slows and weights each action equally.

    from I Sing the Body Electric by Walt Whitman
  5. V.from the corpus

    The Bleat the Bark Bellow & Roar Are Waves that Beat on Heavens Shore

    Why this works

    Blake lists four distinct animal sounds — "The Bleat the Bark Bellow & Roar" — joining them with the conjunction "&" only at the final item rather than using commas between them, creating the pounding, accumulative rhythm characteristic of polysyndeton (here in its near-zero-conjunction variant that still foregrounds the repeated conjunctive logic by withholding commas and clustering the nouns). More precisely, the line suppresses all separating punctuation so each noun crashes into the next, mimicking the very waves the next line describes — a structural enactment of the device's additive, relentless forward drive.

    from Auguries of Innocence by William Blake
  6. VI.from the corpus

    Nods, and Becks, and Wreathed Smiles,

    Why this works

    Milton inserts "and" between every item in this three-part list — "Nods," "Becks," and "Wreathed Smiles" — rather than using commas to separate the first two and reserving the conjunction only for the final pair, making the repeated conjunction itself the defining structural feature of the line and a textbook instance of polysyndeton.

    from L'Allegro by John Milton
  7. VII.from the corpus

    In every cry of every man, In every infant's cry of fear, In every voice, in every ban,

    Why this works

    Blake's rapid repetition of "In every" across three successive lines functions as a prepositional polysyndeton, stacking parallel phrases without reduction or compression — each unit receives equal grammatical weight, mimicking the relentless, omnipresent suffering he catalogs rather than subordinating any single cry beneath a comma.

    from London by William Blake
  8. VIII.from the corpus

    And needy nothing trimm'd in jollity, And purest faith unhappily forsworn, And gilded honour shamefully misplac'd, And maiden virtue rudely strumpeted,

    Why this works

    Shakespeare opens every line of the central catalog with "And" rather than separating items with commas and saving the conjunction only for the last pair — a textbook deployment of polysyndeton that stretches across ten consecutive lines, giving each grievance equal syntactic weight and creating a relentless, accumulating sense of exhaustion.

    from Sonnet 66 by William Shakespeare
  9. IX.from the corpus

    The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work, or of the girl sewing or washing,

    Why this works

    Whitman repeats "or" four times within a single line — "or of the young wife," "or of the girl," "or washing" — chaining each item in the series with its own conjunction rather than saving it for the final pair alone, which is the defining signature of polysyndeton and gives the accumulation an insistent, democratic rhythm.

    from I Hear America Singing by Walt Whitman

Reader’s guide

How to spot polysyndeton

Here’s what to watch for when you think a poet might be using polysyndeton:

  1. Count the conjunctions in a series. If you notice more conjunctions than usual for standard punctuation—like one before each item instead of just the last—that's polysyndeton.
  2. Look at line openings. Polysyndeton frequently reveals itself at the beginning of a line with "And," "Or," "Nor," or "But," especially if several lines start this way.
  3. Notice the rhythm. Read the passage out loud. If the series feels slower and more intentional than a list separated by commas, those conjunctions are likely affecting the pace.
  4. Check whether the list seems endless. A typical list has a definite ending. A polysyndetic list gives the impression that it could continue indefinitely; that open quality is a key indicator.
  5. Distinguish it from anaphora. If the repeated word is a conjunction specifically ("and," "or," "nor," "but"), you’re observing polysyndeton. If the repeated word is something different ("I too," "We shall," "Let freedom"), that’s anaphora—though the two techniques often show up together.

Writer’s guide

How to write with polysyndeton

Three moves to try when you want to incorporate polysyndeton in your own poems:

  1. Replace every comma in a list with "and." Take a line you've drafted that uses standard punctuation for lists and switch in "and" at each point where items are connected. Pay attention to which items suddenly feel more significant or equal. Example: "She carried the groceries and the argument and the silence all the way up the stairs."
  1. Start consecutive lines with the same conjunction. Let "and" or "nor" kick off three or four lines in a row, each introducing a new image or action. Example: "And the field was wet. / And the dog would not come. / And the light was going fast."
  1. Use polysyndeton to slow a climax. When you hit the emotional peak of a poem, resist the urge to condense. Instead, stretch it out by linking each detail with "and," inviting the reader to linger on every element. Example: "I wanted to tell you and I opened my mouth and the words were there and I said nothing."

Poems that turn on polysyndeton

From the public-domain corpus

Adjacent in Structure & rhythm

Open the collection →

Postscript

Frequent definitions