Vers libre is the French term for free verse: poetry written without a fixed meter or regular rhyme scheme. Instead of following strict patterns, the poet lets line breaks, rhythm, and sound develop more naturally from the speech and movement of the poem. It became especially important in late 19th-century French poetry and influenced modern poetry in many languages.
Example
Night opens slowly over the river,
then gathers itself in the reeds.
A single lamp burns at the bridge,
and the water keeps speaking
without a rhyme to hold it.
Related Definitions
[n] unrhymed verse without a consistent metrical pattern