This feels wrong in here, which prompts me to again request a poetry subforum which caters for technical talk on the subject. I plan to write a series of poems inspired by those of William Carlos Williams. I understand it's a little cliched to be a WCW wannabe, but I genuinely love his work and this will merely be a method of bettering my own efforts. But one area (among many others) that's always puzzled me with poetry is line breaks. Not just when and why they're used in the way they are, but how they dictate how the poem should be read. Take the first two stanzas from WCW's Young Sycamore: I must tell you this young tree whose round and firm trunk between the wet pavement and the gutter (where water is trickling) rises bodily Now in normal speech, if we were to say, 'Look at the wet pavement', we would do so without any pause between 'wet' and 'pavement', but in that the two words are broken here by stanzas, how are we expected to deliver them? Is the break simply a result of the fact the poem is written in stanzas of four lines, or is the break intentional and done for some other reason?
Now, I'm no expert at poetry, not by a long shot, so take my comments with a grain of salt if you wish. Usually when there is a line break you pause as you would at the end of a sentence in prose. For example, if I where reading the first two lines out loud (which is the way most poetry should be read) I would say "I must tell you" (pause) "this young tree". Usually poets put line breaks in for a specific purpose, whether it be to force the reader to read a certain way, or to add a specific beat or pattern to the poem. I would have to say most likely not. Usually a poet adds line and stanza breaks for a specific purpose*, not just because they decided that each stanza should have four lines. ETA: Or any of the reasons OJB stated below If I were reading it, I would pause there because it is the start of a new stanza, which you traditionally pause at. Hopefully this was of some use to you *If you want an example of a "specific purpose" I found this page quite helpful: http://www.dummies.com/education/language-arts/poetry/the-importance-of-pauses-in-poems/
While not the only reasons for Line breaks, let me give you some beginner friendly line-break rules. 1. The end of a phrase or Sentence. 2. A subject or noun in need of a verb or predicate (This creates movement in the poem) 3. A Verb in need of a direct object. (You can use to create surprise). 4. An adjective in need of a noun. (You can also use to create a surprise.) - If you are interested in WCW, Tony Barnstone has an excellent essay on him called 'Who really needs a Red Wheelbarrow?' You can get a copy of the essay in Measure, a review of formal poetry, Volume XI issue 1 2016 (The one with a honey bee as the cover art).
So by both accounts, you suggest a pause would be inserted at the end of each stanza. So the pause between 'wet' and 'pavement' here is adjective in need of a noun? But does it not sound odd or unnatural to your ears, as it does to mine? Of course the pause can be inserted as just that - a duration of silence longer than normal - and of course there's no full stop after 'wet', meaning 'pavement' shouldn't be said with the same emphasis of a new sentence, but I would still be very interested to hear this read aloud by someone. This guy clearly of the 'no pause' opinion (or maybe he just can't read poetry):
Yes, it does, but what I was saying is that in my opinion the speaker wanted it to sound odd or unnatural. However, I could be wrong, as I still have much to learn in the way of poetry
Maybe. I think analysis of poetry is often at risk of creeping into that dangerous area of pseudo, pretentious bollocks that art experts vomit over the classics.
I can agree with that. I often find people will over-analyze poetry, instead of just taking it for what it is. ETA: However, sometimes poets purposefully do things with line brakes, stanzas, shape, sound etc. to add another layer of depth to the poem.
There are several reasons why the poet may choose to use a line break. One, the rhyme scheme or meter dictates it. Two, the poet wants to draw attention to certain words (e.g., the word at the end of the line). Three, ending the line at a certain word creates tension or suspense, which is then resolved in the following line(s). Four, choosing to end at a certain word over another may change the meaning of the stanza or entire poem.
I didn't think the title of this thread through properly before posting, as my intention was to talk specifically about ending one stanza and starting the next with two words which would, following a normal speech pattern, be spoken without pause, as in 'wet pavement' in the WCW example.
Though many forms call for certain formats that can dictate line breaks, I was taught that a line break in poetry is like the end of a sentence in prose. The way you would stop at the end of a sentence is how you should stop at the end of a line. I'm looking more at it from a readers point of view when I say this. But I guess it's a good thing to keep in mind that it's a way people read poetry.
This was my inkling, but given my inexperience where reading poetry is concerned, I wasn't willing to trust it. That said, if this is the case, then the word 'pavement' at the start of the second stanza would be stressed in the same way the first word of a new sentence would... which is very difficult to understand or make sense of, given that the word which precedes it at the end of the previous stanza is 'wet'. In what context/for what reason would a person say, "Wet. Pavement..." when the whole context suggests it's simply 'wet pavement...' ?
Pavement is two syllables. And I'm not the one to dig into deep meaning or reasoning behind poetry. Grad school's over for me. Good luck!
It is, but I completely fail to see the relevance. I don't mean this disrespectfully to anyone who's replied so far, but it seems no one truly understands what any given poet is trying to do with their verse. I guess the answer to the example I used here doesn't exist. I also accept I overthink these things and I should just let it be what it is.
At the end of the day a poet may put line breaks whether he wishes. For many reasons including scansion rhyme, meter, and of course pretence That is that he thinks or feels that it is merely what a poet does
I don't think it's that no one understands poetry or what poets are trying to do. These moves poets make are quite calculated. I do have an understanding of poetry somewhat from taking classes in grad school, but I was never really trying to be a poet. I did want to understand it, know how to read it, learn the different forms... all that. And I did have to write papers on the poetry we studied. But that took a whole semester to explain and understand, and I wasn't the teacher. I just don't trust what I believe I know enough to school anyone too much. And I'm sorry, but I'm not quite sure what it is you're asking now. That probably means I don't have the answers you're looking for.
Sigh.... WCW in one of his own letters explained he believed in describing an object using sensuous detail. I must tell you (This is an address) this young tree whose round and firm trunk between the wet (wet is sensuous detail. He's putting it at the end of the line to signal its importance.) pavement and the gutter (where water is trickling) rises (Rising is kinetic-sensuous detail. Again at the end of the line.) bodily - Is often done based off of letters and essays said poets left behind. A lot of poets (and even fiction writers) have their own form of personal Rhetoric, a sense of self-governing rules they use to help enhance the meaning of their writing. These rules can be observed by repeating patterns people find in certain works. The main idea behind poetry is that a poet learns not only how to work a poetic, but they learn how to use that poetic to enhance the meaning of their words. No two poets will use the same poetic exactly in the same manner because no two poets have the exact same self-governing rules. The idea of studying a poet Ademicly isn't to pick apart their art, but to try to gain insight into how they were using certain poetics and why. Usually, a writer adopts Rhetoric, from poets they enjoy, into their own style. WCW was greatly inspired by Chinese poetry. Only after he studied and practiced it for some time did he start putting an American flavor on top of it (which is when he started to become famous.)
@OJB - You're sighing because I'm failing to understand after a handful of conflicting replies? Fair enough. The split of the words 'wet' and 'pavement' make a little more sense now, but may I point out it was you who said that one reason for a line break is adjectives in search of a noun - 'wet' (adjective), 'pavement ' (noun). I still wonder, however, how such a stressed pause between these two words can possibly sound anything other than incredibly awkward.
