Elegy: origin, definition, types & examples

 Elegy: in this article you will understand what is a elegy poetry, it's origin, definition, types & examples. This is especially created for B.A. English honours semester l students of BBMKU & VBU. You can read other similar article on our website.

Table of Contents 
1. Elegy Origin
2. Elegy Definition
3. Types of Elegy
4. Elegy Examples

Elegy Origin: 

Etymologically, the word elegy derives from the Greek word 'elegos' which means "funeral lament". The term also includes sad and mournful songs. Elegy may denote a type of musical work, usually of a sad or somber nature. 

Elegy Definition:

An elegy is one of the most popular form of subjective poetry. It is one of the oldest form of poetry. An elegy is a song of mourning or we can say that it is a lament song. It is an expression of sorrow, pain, and despair. It is generally written on someone's death. It offers the poet to express his sorrow feeling on the death of his dear. A true elegy is written with the emotions of sorrow, pain, despair, loss, death etc. In English literature an elegy is a poem of serious reflection, usually a lament for the death.

Types of Elegy:

There are mainly four types of elegy; personal elegy, impersonal elegy, classical elegy and pastoral elegy. Each types are discussed below:

(1) Personal Elegy: 
It is also known as subjective elegy. In this form of elegy the poet expresses his own sorrow or sad feelings through a poem on the death of his close person, friend or relatives. 

(2) Impersonal Elegy: 
It is also called objective elegy. In this form of poetry the poet/ poetess expresses sorrow on the misfortune of the mankind. 

(3) Classical Elegy: 
It was written in elegiac Couplet in which first line is written in hexametre and the second line is written in pentameter. But in modern time poet/poetess write elegies in free verse. 

(4) Pastoral Elegy: 
In this form of Elegy the poet/poetess allows himself/herself to sit alone and write elegy. In the starting lines of such kind of elegy, the poet/poetess expresses sorrow on the death of his/her close person but at the end of the line he/she makes himself/herself  understand that who has come in this universe would die one day, death is the truth of life. 

Elegy Examples and Poets: 

Her are some famous examples of elegy and their poet given bellow:

(1) An Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard by Thomas Gray: it is one of the most famous example of elegy which was composed by the famous author Thomas Gray in 1750 and was published in 1751. In this poem the poet, Thomas Gray once had gone to a Churchyard and saw all the graves, he found that there was only poor person's graves. Afterwards, an idea came to his mind that everyone is going to die one day even he as well. Then one day a person like him would come close to him and would ask to the villagers that who was he and the villagers would signal him towards the text written on his grave. 

(2) The Lycidas by John Milton: it is a pastoral elegy which was written in 1637 on the death of Edward king. It is one of the popular poems of John Milton. 

(3) The Flea by John Donne: 
The flea by John Donne is also one of the famous example of elegy which was published in 1633. 

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