VERSE AND POETRY DISTINGUISHED

I improvised the following four lines the other day：

The young man is a college graduate，who is of fine character and with literary ambitions. But because he is poor，his acquaintances and relatives look down on him and often try to avoid his company. His only real friend is a former teacher，who is always good to him and always ready to help him in his studies. This teacher is an intimate friend of mine. I wrote the lines for fun only，and my friend laughed a merry laugh over them.

These four lines have perfect poetical form. They are written in what is technically called the iambic metre； thus，“Repulsed' | by kith' | and kin'”. The second and fourth lines rhyme； thus，“sad” and “glad”. The first and third lines have three feet each and the second and fourth four feet each.

But these lines are not poetry. They are mere verse. For metre and rhyme alone do not make poetry：they make verse only. “Verse” signifies form. “Poetry” signifies content. Verse is metrical composition. Poetry is elevated composition. What is metrical without being elevated is mere verse. What is elevated without being metrical is prose poetry. By “poetry” is usually meant what is both metrical and elevated.

As you know，there are two similar adjectives “poetic” and “poetical”. It seems to me that in modern usage there is the same difference between them as between “poetry” and “verse” — “poetic” refers to poetry and “poetical” to verse. What is poetic is elevated. What is poetical is metrical. Now can you tell whether my four lines are poetic or poetical？