It is possible to examine the semantic expression of poetry in terms of its syntactic and pragmatic components. It is asserted that textual analysis of the poetic content can be accomplished by structural analysis. Three linguistic levels are distinguished: the poetic word, poetic modeling or representation of the world, and poetic language. These levels are discussed in turn. The poetic lexicon includes the process of naming the poetic object and the overall aesthetic effect of the internal form of the word; literary techniques, e.g., synecdoche, metaphor, and metonymy, are subsumed under this category. The metonymic structure of the poetic world modeling - poetic imagery, symbolism, and tropes - are described. It is concluded that poetic language can serve as a metaphorical representation of the world. (Copyright 1997, Sociological Abstracts, Inc., all rights reserved.) (A. Cohen-Siegel in LLBA 1997, vol. 31, n. 4)