EN
This article provides an outline of the history of the relationship between verse and fiction. From the thirteenth to the nineteenth century, verse held the foremost position in Polish literature. This was because of its connection with the language of the Roman Catholic Mass and Church ritual. The article focuses on the relationship between verse and fiction in the Romantic period, when the uniformity and regularity of verse was disrupted. It also considers Polish Romantic rhythmical prose, describing the changes that took place in the Modern period, a time when, among others things, irregular syllabic verse and experiments with vers libre developed. A further convergence between verse and rhythmicized prose occurred in the period when vers libre was developing and then became predominant.