The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-01-08
AMY LOWELL TELLS
ABOUT NEW POETRY

we must not forget tnaC the new
forms of today will be the common
places Of tomorrow and that the next
generation will doubtless regard our
free rhymths as only one Of the many
forms OF prosody, along with blank
verse, and sonnets, and quatrains. and
all the others. Why there should be
so much argument about them is a lit
tie puzzling, but let that pass. Let us
examine for moment what these new
forms are:
Briefly there are two: ''vers Libre."
and "Polyphonic Prose-" The defini-
ton Of verse libre is: A verse-form
is not meter" A person reading vers
libre with the laws Of metrical verse
in mind will find himself very much
at sea, in fact, utterly confused and
at loss.
To understand vers libre, one must
abandon all desire to find in it the even
rhythm of metrical feet. One must al
low the lines to flow as they will when
read aloud by an intelligent reader
Then new rhythms will become evident
satisfying and delightful. For this
poetry definitely hanks back to the
oral tradition; it is written to be
spoken. For we believe that poetry is
a spoken, not written art
The second characteristic modern
form. and the only one really deserv-
ing the epithet new" is "polypho mic
prose-"
"Polyphonic prose" is perhaps mis-
leading title. as it tends to make the
layman think that this is a prose form.
Nothing could be farther from the
truth. The word prose" in its title
simply refers to the manner in which
the words are printed: "polyphonic"
many voiced-giving the real key.
"Polyphonic prose" Is the freest. the
most elastic of all forms, for it follows
at will any, and all, Of the rules which
guide other forms. Metrical verse has
one set Of laws. cadenced verse an
other; "polyphonic prose" can go from
one to the other in the same poem with
no sense of incongruity. Its only law
is the taste and feeling of it's author.
With no fixed law except taste. with
no tape-measure of feet or cadence to
act as guide, a heavy responsibility Is
laid upon the poet. He has nothing
with which to gage his success but his
ear. For this reason, "polyphonic
prose- is one of the most difficult
forms to write that can we'll be con-
ceived.
Now. not only may the poet use
meter or cadence, he may. nay he must.
employ rhyme. But not always. and,
for the most part, not regularly. In
other words the rhymes should seldom
come at the ends of the cadences. I'M
less such an effect be especially de-
sired.
We see. therefore. that meter, ca
dence. and rhyme are some OF the
many voices" employed in "polyphonic
prose-" Others are assonance, allitera-
ton. and return. Return in this form
is usually achieved by recurrence OF
a dominant thought or image. coming
in irregularly and in varying words.
Parodists of "polyphonic prose" in
variably fail by too great stress laid
on these voices. II they rhyme. they
rhyme too constantly and too regular
ly: If they use meter, they 60 from
It to cadence in heavy and clumsy
manner. so that the change Is obvious
and unpleasant. The fact Is that charm
in "polyphonic prose" is entirely a
question of shading. One type OF verse
fades imperceptibly into another. and
SO closely should this follow the emo
ton OF the poem that ore is conscious
of no distinct changes. merely realiz-
ing with flattered and satisfied ear
the suitability Of the manner to the
feeling.
It cannot be too firmly insisted upon.
too strongly urged, that poetry is
spoken art. A "polyphonic prose-
poem read aloud seldom fails to justify
it's method to its auditors.-Amy Low