Writing Help 129 | - ☆ Freelance Writer
Apr 08, 2013 | #1
Poetic Terms You Have to Learn
Although the term is relatively straightforward and reflective of the phenomenon it describes, there are very few ideas in the realm of poetry that have so wildly complicated what the word poetry itself means. When we think of poems in general, or poetry as a whole, there are certain characteristics that immediately spring to mind: rhyme at regular intervals, which forms a rhyme scheme; a regular metrical arrangement which gives the work a consistent rhythm; end-stopped lines which contain a single idea or thought; and perhaps most importantly, a division into even, short, usually centered lines which do not always use the same rules of capitalization and punctuation as grammatical prose. Free verse, depending on the degree to which it is in operation, subverts all of these prototypical features of poetry, leaving poetry itself open to a wide array of definitions and interpretations.
Free verse, or vers libre as it was known first in French before it made its way into the English translation we have today, is poetry written without the same restrictions with which most traditional poetry is bound. In free verse, a regular rhyme scheme is not necessary, nor is a regular metrical pattern. Lines need not be centered, they can be of varying lengths, and no dominant line length needs to obtain throughout a given poem, or even a given stanza. Punctuation can resemble that of regular prose instead of conventional poetry, or poems can use punctuation in highly irregular ways, like the liberal use of dashes (as is the case for much of Emily Dickinson's poetry), or the complete refusal to use punctuation whatsoever. In short, free verse is a term used to describe poetry that eschews the usual forms of poetic composition.
The practice of free (or relatively free) verse is an old one, but the term was coined in English in 1915. At this time, the modernist movement in literature was in its infancy, and poets and literary thinkers were interested in experimentation, in leaving the traditional forms of composition and creating a new form for a world freshly minted by rapid technological advances and unparalleled warfare. T.S. Eliot, perhaps the most successful and influential figure of modernism, talked about free verse as a way of escaping the restraints of the past, and a route to creating new forms. Note, however, that this early use of the term did not imply the complete removal of traditional conventions from poetic practice; on the contrary, Eliot maintained a core of regularity in his verse, sticking relatively close to iambic pentameter in much of his work and occasionally employing rhyme to create various effects. He even cautioned that if by "free verse" people meant a complete lack of patterning, then the term didn't even apply to poetry, since by definition, poetry is the patterned arrangement of words and sounds. I would agree with this point, though I would point out as well that there are many different levels of pattern that go far beyond rhyming couplets and iambic pentameter.
In the following example, we can see a poem written in free verse broadly conceived:
ending on the night without
moonlight - solitary
under beckoning heartbeats pounding gossamer lungs
revived above unconsciousness
breathe
shivering memory
sand-stopped asphyxia blends into morning
and dawn inhales
A quick glance at the poem shows it is not conventional; even the most basic regularity of line length is not maintained, and a host of other poetic conventions are completely absent. Capitalization is not present at all, the sole punctuation is a dash, no end rhyme appears, and rules of grammatical presentation are ignored. All of this means that the poem will rely on evocative imagery and synergistic relations between different words and concepts to achieve its effects; making a "translation" or "interpretation" of the poem becomes very difficult as a result, and definitive readings give way to a penumbra of more-and-less sufficient readings.
Free Verse
Although the term is relatively straightforward and reflective of the phenomenon it describes, there are very few ideas in the realm of poetry that have so wildly complicated what the word poetry itself means. When we think of poems in general, or poetry as a whole, there are certain characteristics that immediately spring to mind: rhyme at regular intervals, which forms a rhyme scheme; a regular metrical arrangement which gives the work a consistent rhythm; end-stopped lines which contain a single idea or thought; and perhaps most importantly, a division into even, short, usually centered lines which do not always use the same rules of capitalization and punctuation as grammatical prose. Free verse, depending on the degree to which it is in operation, subverts all of these prototypical features of poetry, leaving poetry itself open to a wide array of definitions and interpretations.
Free verse, or vers libre as it was known first in French before it made its way into the English translation we have today, is poetry written without the same restrictions with which most traditional poetry is bound. In free verse, a regular rhyme scheme is not necessary, nor is a regular metrical pattern. Lines need not be centered, they can be of varying lengths, and no dominant line length needs to obtain throughout a given poem, or even a given stanza. Punctuation can resemble that of regular prose instead of conventional poetry, or poems can use punctuation in highly irregular ways, like the liberal use of dashes (as is the case for much of Emily Dickinson's poetry), or the complete refusal to use punctuation whatsoever. In short, free verse is a term used to describe poetry that eschews the usual forms of poetic composition.The practice of free (or relatively free) verse is an old one, but the term was coined in English in 1915. At this time, the modernist movement in literature was in its infancy, and poets and literary thinkers were interested in experimentation, in leaving the traditional forms of composition and creating a new form for a world freshly minted by rapid technological advances and unparalleled warfare. T.S. Eliot, perhaps the most successful and influential figure of modernism, talked about free verse as a way of escaping the restraints of the past, and a route to creating new forms. Note, however, that this early use of the term did not imply the complete removal of traditional conventions from poetic practice; on the contrary, Eliot maintained a core of regularity in his verse, sticking relatively close to iambic pentameter in much of his work and occasionally employing rhyme to create various effects. He even cautioned that if by "free verse" people meant a complete lack of patterning, then the term didn't even apply to poetry, since by definition, poetry is the patterned arrangement of words and sounds. I would agree with this point, though I would point out as well that there are many different levels of pattern that go far beyond rhyming couplets and iambic pentameter.
In the following example, we can see a poem written in free verse broadly conceived:
ending on the night without
moonlight - solitary
under beckoning heartbeats pounding gossamer lungs
revived above unconsciousness
breathe
shivering memory
sand-stopped asphyxia blends into morning
and dawn inhales
A quick glance at the poem shows it is not conventional; even the most basic regularity of line length is not maintained, and a host of other poetic conventions are completely absent. Capitalization is not present at all, the sole punctuation is a dash, no end rhyme appears, and rules of grammatical presentation are ignored. All of this means that the poem will rely on evocative imagery and synergistic relations between different words and concepts to achieve its effects; making a "translation" or "interpretation" of the poem becomes very difficult as a result, and definitive readings give way to a penumbra of more-and-less sufficient readings.