"A beautiful line of verse has twelve feet, and two wings"

Jules Renard’s poetic observation, “A beautiful line of verse has twelve feet, and two wings,” intertwines structure and inspiration in the art of poetry. The “twelve feet” is a literal allusion to classical verse, where lines are measured by “feet”, units of rhythm in poetry, with many traditional poetic forms counting twelve feet for a line, as seen in the French alexandrine. This numerical precision signals discipline, deliberate craft, and the technical foundation that supports poetry as an art form. The line’s architecture must be solid, expertly constructed for stability and integrity; the poet is, in this sense, an architect carefully measuring each element.

Yet, Renard adds, the line has “two wings,” offering an image that soars beyond mere technique. Wings evoke flight, imagination, transcendence, and freedom. While the technical mastery forms the body of the verse, it is the wings, the intangible, delicate additions, that lift poetry out of mere wordcraft and into artistry. Through these wings comes the possibility of rising above the ordinary, infusing verse with emotion, inspiration, and originality. They also evoke the dual nature of poetry: rooted in rules and form, yet always longing to break free, to achieve something ethereal.

The idea of wings also invokes the bird, a living creature sustained by both the sturdy bones and the effortless grace of flight. Poetry, too, is animated by balance, between the rigorous adherence to form (“twelve feet”) and the liberating quality of creativity and spirit (“two wings”). The poet, then, must master both crafts: technical prowess and imaginative vision. Without feet, a poem collapses into chaos or incoherence; without wings, it cannot rise above the literal, the mundane.

Renard’s metaphor is a gentle admonition and a celebration. True artistry in verse unites discipline and freedom, reminding poets and readers alike that poetry achieves its full potential only when both its measured steps and its transcendent flight work in harmony.