Question

What effect does Ezra Pound achieve by excluding the phrase "are like" in favor of a semicolon in this poem, turning the lines into a metaphor instead of a simile?

Answer 1

I just took the post test on Plato! Correct answer is: It reflects the imagist ideal of separate images that overlap to present one clear idea.

Answer 2

Since the line in the poem is not mention, and even the poem itself, here's a quick answer about the usage of metaphor and simile.

 In general sense,  metaphor has a stronger assertion compared to simile .  A metaphor implies that A "is" B ; a simile  only says  that A "is LIKE" B.