​This paper investigates the strategic employment of simile and metaphor as the primary engines of figurative language in poetry. While both figures of speech rely on the relationship between the tenor (the subject) and the vehicle (the image), they perform distinct communicative functions.

​The study argues that similes, characterized by their explicit linguistic markers (like, as), function as logical bridges. They preserve the ontological distance between objects, allowing for a controlled, analytical exploration of similarity that guides the reader’s imagination without fully merging the concepts.

​In contrast, metaphors function as conceptual fusions. By asserting identity (A is B), metaphors collapse the distance between subject and image, resulting in a more visceral, transformative experience. This "metaphoric leap" forces a cognitive synthesis that redefines the subject in the reader's mind, often carrying a higher degree of emotional and symbolic weight.

​Through a comparative analysis of selected texts, the discourse demonstrates that:

​Similes are frequently utilized for clarity, vividness, and the establishment of "likeness."

​Metaphors serve to create new realities, driving the thematic depth and subtextual power of the poem.