World of Poetry 2: The Free Verse

The Free Verse

Free or Polyrhythmic

In spite of its name, free verse (vers libre) is not actually a form of verse. It is rather free of versification (libre de vers). Another name for free verse is polyrhythmic verse because of the varying degree with which meter is used (or not used). Mostly, free verse relies on many different combinations of meter for its rhythm because its writers feel more free to construct lines according to dramatic or emotional effect and choose words and phrases that are drawn more from a personal taste rather than for their aesthetic appeal. This of course means that associations between effect and meter are more accidental than intentional for those who write free verse. Hence the delineation between those who would call it free verse and others who would call it polyrhythmic verse.

Rhythm or Cadence

Free verse is a style of writing in which the writer uses line breaks and caesura to create not just a visual effect but a rhythmic quality, or cadence, that either enhances or contrasts with the material being written. The cadence, for instance, of a portrayal of angst and fear may be hurried or very heightened, whereas the expression of a calm sunset love may be much more deliberate and slower. In a contrasting cadence, the rhythm of waves on the shoreline may be combined with the ecstatic rush of making love, which may or may not be a successful merger.

In free verse there can be detected a very base rhythm. Sometimes the rhythm is conveyed in blocks of lines called strophes or stanzas. Other times, the rhythm dribbles down the page in asymmetrical lines and wavering consistency.

A Couple Examples of Free Verse:

Excerpts from “Cinderella” by Anne Sexton

“You always read about it:
the plumber with twelve children
who wins the Irish Sweepstakes.
From toilets to riches.
That story.
….
Or the charwoman
who is on the bus when it cracks up
and collects enough from the insurance.
From mops to Bonwit Teller.
That story.

Once
the wife of a rich man was on her deathbed
and she said to her daughter Cinderella:
Be devout. Be good. Then I will smile
down from heaven in the seam of a cloud.
….”

Excerpt from “Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking” by Walt Whitman

“Once Paumanok,
When the lilac-scent was in the air and Fifth-month grass was growing,
Up this seashore in some briers,
Two feathered guests from Alabama, two together,
And their nest, and four light-green eggs spotted with brown,
And every day the he-bird to and fro near at hand,
And every day the she-bird crouched on her nest, silent, with bright eyes,
And every day I, a curious boy, never too close, never disturbing them,
Cautiously peering, absorbing, translating.

Shine! shine! shine!
Pour down your warmth, great sun!
While we bask, we two together.

Two together!
Winds blow south, or winds blow north,
Day come white, or night come black,
Home, or rivers and mountains from home,
Singing all time, minding no time,
While we two keep together.

Till of a sudden,
Maybe killed, unknown to her mate,
One forenoon the she-bird crouched not on the nest,
Nor returned that afternoon, nor the next,
Nor ever appeared again.
….”

As you can see, the rhythm is there within these free verses, but it is based more on the material than on a metrical pattern. The rhythm of these pieces is closely linked with the emotional effect or appeal they have.

Some Styles of Free Verse & Poetry

1. The New Poetry is a term that has applied throughout English history many different times that indicates a new poetic movement. The 20th century movement toward sentimentalism in free verse in an unfettered and ‘natural’ way could be called a New Poetry.
2. Allegory is a form of symbolic writing wherein the people, places, things, or events represent a meaning deeper and other than that described. Not always does an allegory teach a moral lesson. A fable is an allegory without a moral. A parable is an allegory with a moral. A homily is a seriously moral monologue or sermon. The anecdote is a short narrative that gives the details of an event in retrospect to a theme or focus, yet without the use of a moral lesson as in a parable.
3. Although light verse includes other forms, free verse could be considered light verse when it is not serious or meditative in tone or intent. There is the whimsical: a term for writing which is fanciful or expresses odd notions but is mostly called so because such material is written on whim and without thought for consequence or morality.
4. An encomium is an elaborate expression of praise, similar to a eulogy, though an encomium may be written for someone still alive or just born. There is the plaint: a lamentation or expression of sorrow. A lampoon is a form of satire which ridicules a person, group or institution in a maligning or abusive way. Invective also falls under that heading. A harangue or diatribe is a written or verbal speech urging people or groups of people to action and influencing attitudes by appealing to the emotions rather than to reason.
5. Doggerel is considered a crude or half-hearted attempt at writing poetically and usually is characterized by cheap sentiments and/or trivial or cliched material. Some poems are considered doggerel if they treat the same kinds of subjects and the rhyme or rhythm has become monotonous.
6. Amphigory is a type of verse containing very little or no coherence, sense, or meaning. It is two steps beyond allegory. Surrealistic writing is the incorporation of symbolism so intensely personal that the reader has difficulty deciphering it and this is the reason why much surrealistic poetry falls under amphigory or nonsense verse.
7. Nonsense verse is called so for its apparent lack of logic and coherence of thought. This is why some free verse is considered nonsense verse. Yet, this is a form of light verse that includes the use of coined nonsense words, words that are mingled from different languages, tongue twisters, and the re-arrangement of the typeface on the page like a calligramme. Nonsense verse has usually been characterized by a strong sense of rhythm, acquired by the use of dactyls or anapests. This is why the limerick could be considered a form of nonsense verse.

To see how a poem is formed continue on with Parts 3 and 4 of this article.

World of Poetry 1: Four Elements, Three Divisions

World of Poetry 3: The Free Form

World of Poetry 4: The Poem

World of Poetry 5: Rhyme

Other Articles by Adam Henry Sears:

The True Haiku and its Origins,

Writer’s Block 1, Writer’s Block 2,

If You’re Going to Write, Read, Read, Read,

Self-Editing Made Easy,

12 Quotes To Inspire All Writers,

Poem, Free Form, Free Verse: Recognizing the Differences,

Blogs & IMs: The Bane of Good Writing Habits

A Free Verse by Adam Henry Sears

Running Through The Fog

Some Poems by Adam Henry Sears

A Tiara for Tiara

A Tribute To Arwen After The Age of Men

Venusian Temple

Dragon’s Child