Versification is the technique of writing poetry. It differs from any other term used to describe verse form or prosody in that it implies a poet's point of view rather than a critic's. Versification is a creative art as opposed to an analytical one. The Chinese poem Quatrain on Heavenly Mountain by Emperor Gaozong (Song Dynasty) Poetry (from the Greek , poiesis, making or creating) is a form of art in which language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its ostensible meaning. ... Poetry (ancient Greek: poieo = create) is an art form in which human language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or instead of, its notional and semantic content. ... Prosody may mean several things: Prosody consists of distinctive variations of stress, tone, and timing in spoken language. ...

Because it is not an analytical category, versification is difficult to write about analytically. At the same time, it is a category that all critics must acknowledge. Marianne Moore said as much: Marianne Moore photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1948 Marianne Moore (December 11, 1887 - February 5, 1972) was a Modernist American poet and writer. ...

Hands that can grasp, eyes
   that can dilate, hair that can rise
      if it must, these things are important not because a

high-sounding interpretation can be put upon them but because they are
       useful.

Moore did not mean that interpreted things are not important, but that these particular things are important because they are useful. Versification is the study of the utility of prosody as opposed to its significance.