Editing Free verse (section)

===Form and structure===
The unit of vers libre is not the foot, the number of the syllables, the quantity, or the line. The unit is the [[strophe]], which may be the whole poem or only a part. Each strophe is a complete circle.<ref>Lowes, John Livingston Conventions and Revolt in Poetry Houghton Mifflin, Boston 1919</ref> Vers libre is "verse-formal based upon [[Cadence (poetry)|cadence]] that allows the lines to flow as they will when read aloud by an intelligent reader."<ref>Lowell, Amy, Preface, Sword Blades, and Poppy Seed; North American Review for January 1917</ref>

Unrhymed [[Cadence (poetry)|cadence]] in vers libre is built upon "organic rhythm" or the rhythm of the speaking voice with its necessity for breathing, rather than upon a strict metrical system.<ref>Lowes, John Livingston  ''Conventions and Revolt in Poetry'' Houghton Mifflin, Boston 1919</ref> For vers libre addresses the ear, not the eye.<ref>de Souza Robert, ''Du Rythme en Francais'', Welter, Paris 1912</ref> Vers libre is liberated from traditional rules concerning meter, caesura, and line end stopping.<ref>Kahn, Gustave, ''Le Vers libre'', Paris, 1923 ASIN: B008XZTTY2</ref> Every syllable pronounced is of nearly equal value but is less strongly accented than in English; being less intense requires less discipline to mold the accents into the poem's rhythm.<ref name="autogenerated1986"/> This new technique, as defined by Kahn, consists of the denial of a regular number of syllables as the basis for versification; the length of the line is long and short, oscillating with images used by the poet following the contours of his or her thoughts and is free rather than regular.<ref>Hulme, T. E., ''Lecture on Modern Poetry'', Kensington Town Hall 1914</ref>

Although free verse requires no meter, rhyme, or other traditional poetic techniques, a poet can still use them to create some sense of structure. A clear example of this can be found in [[Walt Whitman]]'s poems, where he repeats certain phrases and uses commas to create both a rhythm and structure.

Pattern and discipline are to be found in good free verse: the internal pattern of sounds, the choice of exact words, and the effect of associations give free verse its beauty.<ref>Boulton, Marjories, ''Anatomy of Poetry'', Routledge&Kegan, London 1953</ref> With the [[Imagists]] free verse became a discipline and acquired status as a legitimate poetic form.<ref>Pratt, William. The Imagist Poem, Modern Poetry in Miniature (Story Line Press, 1963, expanded 2001). {{ISBN|1-58654-009-2}}.</ref> [[Herbert Read]], however, noted that "the Imagist [[Ezra Pound]] gave free verse its musical structure to an extent that paradoxically it was no longer free."<ref>Read, Herbert Ezra Pound, ''The Tenth Muse''. Routledge & Kegan Paul, London 1957</ref>

Unrestrained by traditional boundaries, the poet possesses more license to express and has more control over the development of the poem. This can allow for a more spontaneous and individualized poetic art product.

Technically, free verse has been described as spaced prose, a mosaic of verse and prose experience.<ref>Patterson, William Morrison, ''Rhythm of Prose'' (Preface 2nd edition) [[Columbia University Press]], 1916. [https://archive.org/stream/rhythmofproseexp00pattiala/rhythmofproseexp00pattiala_djvu.txt]</ref>