Poetry Dictionary

Elegy

A poem of lament, usually formal and sustained, over the death of a particular person; also, a meditative poem in plaintive or sorrowful mood, such as, "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard," by Thomas Gray.

Note: The pastoral elegy became conventional in the Renaissance and continued into the nineteenth century. Traditionally, pastoral elegies included an invocation, a lament in which all nature joined, praise, sympathy, and a closing consolation, as in John Milton's Lycidas.

(See also Dirge, Epitaph, Monody)

References

• Poetry Dictionary
• Words beginning with the letter E
• Types of Poetry