Is "verse" or "stanza" the proper word to refer to some "paragraph" in a poem? For example, in Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
"'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door-
Only this, and nothing more."
Do we call this the first verse or the first stanza of this poem? I know there was a previous question on this site asking about the difference between the two words but I cannot find any example on that page and I am still confused. Could anyone clarify things to me in this very example? Best regards
Best Answer
A stanza is a paragraph like form of poetry, when compared to prose writing. A verse is simply a sentence.