Types of unrhymed poetry
In
this column I'll briefly mention and discuss the various forms of
unrhymed poetry, including blank verse, grossblank, free iambic, free
verse, cadenced verse, sprung rhythm and prose poetry
Blank Verse - an unrhymed poem almost invariably written in iambic pentameters. Great masters include Shakespeare and Milton.
Grossblank - this is a poem written in blank verse, but using iambic hexameter rather than the standard iambic pentameter of most blank verse. This is not that easy to make interesting in English but it can work for short poems. For poems of any length it tends to become rather a strain to read.
Free iambic verse - a freer and less regular form of blank verse, allowing for more flexibility in terms of line length and irregular stresses on the syllables. Perhaps the finest example of this was displayed by Shakespeare in 'Cymbeline,' where the rhythm and flow of the blank verse are both tightly compacted and extremely variable in terms of length of the lines.
Free verse - also known as verse libre or freeform verse. This has no metrical structure imposed upon it, simply allowing its rhythm to flow naturally without any use of rhyme or similar devices. It is perhaps most brilliantly used by Eliot in 'The Waste Land,' although the number of poets who employ it is too numerous to mention.
Cadenced verse - this is based on an often hypnotic and always strongly rhythmical type of verse that is more irregular than traditional metres but still has a pattern. William Blake, Walt Whitman and D H Lawrence were its greatest exponents.
Sprung rhythm - this was invented by Gerard Manley Hopkins. It is based on the number of stressed syllables in a line and allows an indeterminate number of unstressed syllables to be used in the poem. In sprung rhythm, a foot may be composed of from one to four syllables. (In regular English metres, a foot almost invariably consists of two or three syllables.) If this pattern is used without alternating stressed and unstressed syllables, as generally happens in English poetry, the resulting verse is described as 'sprung rhythm.' Hopkins also added an extensive use of alliteration and pararhyme to his verse, but these are not necessary components of the 'sprung rhythm' way of writing.
Prose poem - prose poems, as their name implies, are written in the form of prose. However, they also read like unrhymed and often arhythmical poetry. To create the poetic effect, imagery, musicality of diction and similar poetic devices are used. Probably the finest example is Roy Fisher's 'City,' around half of which is written in the form of poetic prose.
Blank Verse - an unrhymed poem almost invariably written in iambic pentameters. Great masters include Shakespeare and Milton.
Grossblank - this is a poem written in blank verse, but using iambic hexameter rather than the standard iambic pentameter of most blank verse. This is not that easy to make interesting in English but it can work for short poems. For poems of any length it tends to become rather a strain to read.
Free iambic verse - a freer and less regular form of blank verse, allowing for more flexibility in terms of line length and irregular stresses on the syllables. Perhaps the finest example of this was displayed by Shakespeare in 'Cymbeline,' where the rhythm and flow of the blank verse are both tightly compacted and extremely variable in terms of length of the lines.
Free verse - also known as verse libre or freeform verse. This has no metrical structure imposed upon it, simply allowing its rhythm to flow naturally without any use of rhyme or similar devices. It is perhaps most brilliantly used by Eliot in 'The Waste Land,' although the number of poets who employ it is too numerous to mention.
Cadenced verse - this is based on an often hypnotic and always strongly rhythmical type of verse that is more irregular than traditional metres but still has a pattern. William Blake, Walt Whitman and D H Lawrence were its greatest exponents.
Sprung rhythm - this was invented by Gerard Manley Hopkins. It is based on the number of stressed syllables in a line and allows an indeterminate number of unstressed syllables to be used in the poem. In sprung rhythm, a foot may be composed of from one to four syllables. (In regular English metres, a foot almost invariably consists of two or three syllables.) If this pattern is used without alternating stressed and unstressed syllables, as generally happens in English poetry, the resulting verse is described as 'sprung rhythm.' Hopkins also added an extensive use of alliteration and pararhyme to his verse, but these are not necessary components of the 'sprung rhythm' way of writing.
Prose poem - prose poems, as their name implies, are written in the form of prose. However, they also read like unrhymed and often arhythmical poetry. To create the poetic effect, imagery, musicality of diction and similar poetic devices are used. Probably the finest example is Roy Fisher's 'City,' around half of which is written in the form of poetic prose.
