"I think there was a revolution in poetry, associated chiefly with Eliot and Pound; but maybe it is of the nature of revolutions or of the nature of history that their innovations should later come to look trivial or indistinguishable from technical tricks"

Howard Nemerov's quote is describing the transformation in poetry that was led by T.S. Eliot and Ezra Pound. This transformation was characterized by a shift away from conventional poetic kinds and conventions, and towards a more experimental technique to writing. However, Nemerov suggests that this transformation may have been short-lived, which its developments might have been forgotten or viewed as mere technical techniques. This could be due to the nature of transformations, which frequently have a short-lived impact, or the nature of history, which tends to forget the information of previous occasions. Eventually, Nemerov's quote recommends that the transformation in poetry might have been more of a passing trend than a long lasting change.