elegy

For instance, Elton John's “Candle In The Wind” can be considered an example of an elegy. The song in question is known for being performed at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales. Examples of elegies originally in the poetic form include “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” by the English poet Thomas Gray.

An elegy is a poem, and it has a particular kind of emotion driving it. That emotion is lament, meaning to feel and express sorrow, and to mourn for something - and, yes, elegies are very often about someone who has died, but it might also be something that has died, say, a feeling, or a relationship.

The word elegy derives from the Greek élegos, "funeral lament.” It was among the first forms of the ancients, though in Greek literature it refers to a specific verse form as well as the emotions conveyed by it. Any poem using the particular meter of the elegiac couplet or elegiac distich was termed an elegy.

As we venture back in history, we start with the ancient Greek elegy, which was typically written in the form of couplets and was meant to be sung aloud and accompanied by the aulos, a type of flute.

Elegy Examples

• "Lycidas," John Milton.
• "O Captain, My Captain," Walt Whitman.
• "To an Athlete Dying Young," A.E. Housman.
• "Adonais," Percy Bysshe Shelley.

List of Popular Elegy Poems

• "In Memory of W.B. Yeats" by W.H. Auden.
• "To An Athlete Dying Young" by A.E. Housman.
• "Because I Could Not Stop For Death" by Emily Dickinson.
• "Death Stands Above Me" by Walter Savage Landor.
• "Dirge Without Music" by Edna St.
• "Lycidas" by John Milton.
• "In Memoriam A.H.H." by Alfred Lord Tennyson.

Elegy (which may be traced to the Greek word elegos, “song of mourning”) commonly refers to a song or poem lamenting one who is dead; the word may also refer somewhat figuratively to a nostalgic poem, or to a kind of musical composition.

On this page you'll find 15 synonyms, antonyms, and words related to elegy, such as: knell, lament, plaint, requiem, threnody, and death song.

This genre can be difficult to define, as there are specific types of elegiac poem as well as a general elegiac mood, but almost all elegies mourn, and seek consolation for, a loss of some kind: the most common form of elegy is a lyric commemorating the death of a loved one.

An elegy is a poem of serious reflection, especially one mourning the loss of someone who died. Elegies are defined by their subject matter, and don't have to follow any specific form in terms of meter, rhyme, or structure.

An elegy refers to a mournful poem, usually dedicated to someone who's passed away. This word derives from the Greek word elegos, which translates to “song of mourning.” An elegy can also be considered a tribute to the deceased, but above all, it's a poem that laments and expresses grief over someone's death.

An elegy is a poem that reflects upon death or loss. Traditionally, it contains themes of mourning, loss, and reflection. However, it can also explore themes of redemption and consolation.