Stanza

Defenition: A Stanza is a group of lines used to make divisions in the poem.

Example:

To The River by Edgar Allan Poe
(published 1829)

  
Fair river! in thy bright, clear flow
    Of crystal, wandering water,
Thou art an emblem of the glow
       Of beauty -- the unhidden heart --
       The playful maziness of art
In old Alberto's daughter;

But when within thy wave she looks --
       Which glistens then, and trembles --
Why, then, the prettiest of brooks
       Her worshipper resembles;
For in my heart, as in thy stream,
    Her image deeply lies --
The heart which trembles at the beam
    Of her soul-searching eyes.

~*~

The break or space after the sixth line is the end of the stanza. The new stanza begins at the seventh line; "But when within thy wave she looks."

(Poem from: http://poestories.com/index.php)

Explanation: The term stanza is crucial in the developement of poetry. The usage of the term is important because it organizes the poem, and when a stanza is made, the group of lines together often, if not always relate to one another. The starting of another stanza is similar to a paragraph when speaking in prose.