OK, more with the metaphorical conceits: if you're an explorer, you need to have an idea of where you are going before you can set sail. So you may end up discovering Hispaniola instead of India, but that's how discoveries are made.
And you'll need a compass, or a sextant, or know the stars, or have a really good sense of direction before you shove off, m'hearties!
Traditional verse starts with logic. Duhh ... . No, I'm not going to try and pretend I'm a qualified philosophy instructor. But I am suggesting that it helps to have a basic idea of syllogistic structure when you're starting out to write poems that fit into that "traditional" mode.
In short, the rules of rhetoric (actually studied as a kind of "communications theory" in the Middle Ages) demand a certain structure, and rhythmically rhyming posey fit into that early category.
Of course, the art of poetry (no matter what kind you're writing or what age) insists that the poet "bend" rules -- backwards and sideways and every way possible, if necessary -- in making his or her point. The "rules" in this case are the audience's or readers' expectations. They've got to have an idea of where you are going -- and so, dear poet, do you.
I'm off to find a copy of Eliot's "Ash Wednesday" here in the library stacks. So, my friends, 'til next time ... .
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