Dijkstra's algorithm/uniform-cost search
a) Line 1: "The apparition of these faces in the crowd." The poet is trying to get us to see...
b) Line 2: "Petals on a wet, black bough." Although he doesn't say so, the words "______ _______" are implicit at the start of this line.
c) A "bough" is a big tree branch. When is a tree branch wet and black?
d) Another fact to keep in mind is that Japan is famous for its beautiful flowering trees, and considering that this poem is written in Japanese haiku style, he might just be thinking of...