Etymology of Free Verse
Etymologically, free verse is made up of two words; free and verse. It is the translation of verse libre. It originated in 1880 in France in rebellion against the restrictions posed by the poetic canons. Charles Baudelaire is credited to have used the free verse for the first time followed by English and American points Walt Whitman and T. S. Eliot.
Origin of Free Verse
It is stated that Gustave Kahn is the first poet who used free verse poetry in 1886 in France. His poems used to appear in the journal, La Vogue. His poetry was popular for its complexity, natural style and flexibility.
Opinions about Literary Device Free Verse
| Poet | Opinion |
| Charles Allen | Charles Allen proposes that free verse poetry liberates poets from the rigid confines of metrical rhythm. It allows for greater rhythmic flexibility, enabling poets to experiment with varying cadences and structures. |
| Donald Hall | Donald Hall’s perspective contrasts with Allen’s. He posits that while this type of verse offers more creative freedom than traditional verse forms, it is not entirely without constraints. There are still elements within free verse that shape the poet’s expression. |
| T.S. Eliot | T.S. Eliot’s viewpoint diverges significantly. He asserts that free verse lacks the gravitas needed for serious poetry and discerning readers. According to him, the absence of formal constraints in such poetry results in a lack of depth and quality. |
| Kenneth Allott | Kenneth Allott perceives free verse as vers libre, driven by a quest for novelty and innovation. He suggests that free verse emerged as a reaction against established norms, signaling a desire to explore new creative territories. |
| John Livingston Lowes | John Livingston Lowes characterizes free verse as a form that straddles the boundary between poetry and beautiful prose. He highlights the aesthetic beauty of free verse, noting its resemblance to prose while retaining its inherent poetic essence. |
These various perspectives on free verse reflect the diversity of opinions within the realm of literary criticism. It is evident that different poets hold distinct viewpoints on the nature of free verse, ranging from its potential for rhythmic experimentation to its ability to transcend traditional poetic norms. Such debates within the realm of poetic theory contribute to the dynamic discourse surrounding literary creativity and expression.
Definition of Free Verse as Literary Device
As a literary device, free verse shows the use of inconsistent or no metrical patterns, rhyme scheme or syllable pattern. It rather follows the rhythm of natural speech.
Common Features of Free Verse
- Absence of Metrical or Rhythmic Pattern: It liberates itself from the constraints of metrical and rhythmic patterns, allowing poets to explore a more fluid and organic rhythm in their compositions.
- Lack of Rhyme Scheme: Unlike traditional verse forms, free verse disregards the necessity for a structured rhyme scheme. Poets working with free verse have the freedom to utilize rhyme selectively or not at all.
- Adoption of Natural Language: Free verse aligns itself with the cadences, pauses, and rhythms of natural language. This approach contributes to a conversational and unforced quality in the poetry.
- Deviation from Poetic Formalities: It breaks away from conventional poetic conventions, granting poets the liberty to forgo established rules related to line length, stanza structure, and other formalities. This enables a more innovative and adaptable approach to composition.
Literary Examples of Free Verse
Example # 1
From “Possibilities” by Wislawa Szymborska
I prefer movies.
I prefer cats.
I prefer the oaks along the Warta.
I prefer Dickens to Dostoyevsky.
I prefer myself liking people
to myself loving mankind.
I prefer keeping a needle and thread on hand, just in case.
I prefer the color green.
I prefer not to maintain
that reason is to blame for everything.
I prefer exceptions.
This short excerpt from the poem “Possibilities” by Polish Nobel Laureate, Wislawa Szymborska، shows the use of free verse. She has expressed her every desire in very simple terms disregarding all poetic restraints and limits. There is no metrical pattern, no rhythm, no notes, and absolutely no rhyme scheme. Yet, there is a theme and a music. This is because of the success of vers libre in poetry.
Example # 2
From “Harvest at Mynachlog” by Gillian Clarke
At last the women come with baskets,
The older one in flowered apron,
A daisied cloth covering the bread
And dappled china, sweet tea
In a vast can. The women stoop
Spreading their cups in the clover.
Although it is in vers libre, Gillian Clarke presents a beautiful story of women with an older women carrying flowered apron and sweat tea in a can. They spread their cups to receive the tea. There is no metrical pattern, no poetic complexities, and no poetic devices. This shows the beautiful use of the literary device, free verse.
Example # 3
From “A Blackbird Singing“ R. S. Thomas
It seems wrong that out of this bird,
Black, bold, a suggestion of dark
Places about it, there yet should come
Such rich music, as though the notes’
Ore were changed to a rare metal
At one touch of that bright bill.
Although written in a loaded language, this beautiful poetic piece shows the use free verse. There is no rhyme scheme whatsovere and no metrical pattern. Yet, it has a music due to the metephoracial language and pointed use of words.
Example # 4
From “A Sleeping Black Boy” Mongane Wally Serote
He lay flat
Face deep into the green grass
The huge jacket covered his head, the heat onto his ears
He is dirty
The dirt screams from his flesh like a rotten smell.
This combination of highly short and terse verses with long and pointed verses show the success of free verse. This South African poet, Mongane Wally Serote has beautifully presented the picture of a black boy, showing that the very color denotes the situation of the boy he is trapped in.
Example # 5
From “A Magic Mountain” by Czeslaw Milosz
Budberg: a familiar name in my childhood.
They were prominent in our region,
This Russian family, descendants of German Balts.
I read none of his works, too specialized.
And Chen, I have heard, was an exquisite poet,
Which I must take on faith, for he wrote in Chinese.
This beautiful piece from the poem from the Polish poet, Czslaw Milosz, presents a Russian family in the area of the poet. Although it clearly seems that the presentation is poetic and yet it is free of all poetic restrictions. There is no metrical pattern, no rhythm and no rhyme scheme.
Example # 6
From “Children in Wartime” Isobel Thrilling
Sirens ripped open
the warm silk of sleep;
we ricocheted to the shelter
moated by streets
that ran with darkness.
People said it was a storm,
but flak
had not the right sound
for rain;
thunder left such huge craters
of silence,
we knew this was no giant
playing bowls.
This crispy poetic extract from the poem of an English poet, Isobel Thrilling, shows that best poetic piece could be written disregarding poetic restrictions. This poetic piece presents sirens, the public attitude and the rain and silence but there is no rhyme scheme or metrical pattern. This is a beautiful free verse poem.
Suggested Readings
- Hirshfield, Jane. Nine Gates: Entering the Mind of Poetry. HarperCollins, 1997.
- Kooser, Ted. The Poetry Home Repair Manual: Practical Advice for Beginning Poets. University of Nebraska Press, 2005.
- Oliver, Mary. A Poetry Handbook. Mariner Books, 1994.
- Roethke, Theodore. The Collected Poems of Theodore Roethke. Doubleday, 1966.
- Young, Dean. The Art of Recklessness: Poetry as Assertive Force and Contradiction. Graywolf Press, 2009.
- Snyder, Gary. The Practice of the Wild: Essays. North Point Press, 1990.
- Strand, Mark, and Eavan Boland, editors. The Making of a Poem: A Norton Anthology of Poetic Forms. W. W. Norton & Company, 2001.
- Vendler, Helen. Poems, Poets, Poetry: An Introduction and Anthology. Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2010.