[EricDP]

OK, I think I've solved this using only standard code - I fell back to 'inline-table' instead of 'inline-block'. Somewhat comical since one of the reasons the display parameters were created was to eliminate the abuse of tables for non-tabular data. Oh well...

Here's the CSS:

.centerblock {
	text-align: center;
	display: block;
	text-indent: 0em;
}
.tableblock {
	text-align: left;
	display: inline-table;
}
.verse {
	text-align: left;
	text-indent: 0em;
	font-size: 0.85em;
	margin-top: 0.5em;
	margin-bottom: 0.5em;
}
td {
	padding-top: 0.5em;
	padding-bottom: 0.5em;
}

And here is a sample of two verses:

  <div class="centerblock">
    <table class="tableblock vneg1">
      <tr>
        <td class="verse">Again we meet to celebrate<br />
        &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;With badge and solemn rite,<br />
        Our fifty-second anniversary,<br />
        &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In Pickwick Hall, tonight.</td>
      </tr>
    </table>
  </div>

  <div class="centerblock">
    <table class="tableblock vneg2">
      <tr>
        <td class="verse">We all are here in perfect health,<br />
        &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;None gone from our small band:<br />
        Again we see each we,nn,mll-known face,<br />
        &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And press each friendly hand.</td>
      </tr>
    </table>
  </div>

Yes, you do need a separate div for each verse. Otherwise the verses go side-by side.

I tested this in ADE and in Sigil and it seems to render well, and it will break across pages in ADE (it won't break a single verse across a page, but the entire poem will break between verses).

Please provide feedback on how this works in different readers. Thanks!