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What is Elegy?

What is an elegy?

The elegy is a lyric poem that mourns the death of someone near and dear to the writer. It is longer than other lyrical poems. Usually, it begins with a description of nature to set a gloomy mood and then passes on to the cause of mourning.

In this part of the poem, the poet opens his heart and pours his grief into the poem. Traditionally, he takes the role of a shepherd and imagines his dead friend as another shepherd who used to play on the flute. Towards the end of the poem the poet feels that his dead friend is alive around him, he is not dead. In this way, he consoles himself.

Thomas Gray’s “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” is a famous elegy in which the poet mourns for all the dead villagers, instead of a single dead person.

The other famous elegies in English are Milton’s “Lycidas”, Shelley’s “Adonais”, Tennyson’s “In Memorian”, and Arnold’s “Thyrsis”.

An elegy is a poem that expresses sorrow and mourning, usually for someone who has died. It is often thoughtful and serious in tone.

Features of an Elegy:

  1. Mourning and Grief – It expresses deep sadness for loss.
  2. Praise and Admiration – It speaks well of the person or thing lost.
  3. Consolation – It sometimes finds hope or peace after sorrow.
  4. Formal and Serious Tone – The language is solemn and respectful.
  5. Personal and Universal Feelings – It may express personal emotions but also speaks to human experiences.

Famous Writers of Elegies:

  • John Milton
  • Thomas Gray
  • Alfred Lord Tennyson
  • Walt Whitman
  • Matthew Arnold

Famous Elegies and Their Descriptions:

1. Lycidas (1637) – John Milton

This elegy was written for Edward King, a young poet and friend of Milton, who drowned. It mixes mourning, religious faith, and reflections on fame.

  • Milton expresses sorrow: “Yet once more, O ye laurels, and once more / Ye myrtles brown, with ivy never sere.”
  • He wonders about fate and talent: “Fame is the spur that the clear spirit doth raise.”
  • In the end, he finds hope in heaven, believing that King is now safe with God.

2. Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard (1751) – Thomas Gray

This elegy mourns unknown villagers buried in a graveyard. It thinks about life, death, and forgotten people.

  • He respects the simple lives of these people: “Full many a flower is born to blush unseen.”
  • He reflects on death: “The paths of glory lead but to the grave.”
  • The poem ends with the poet imagining his own death and tombstone.

3. In Memoriam A.H.H. (1850) – Alfred Lord Tennyson

This is a long elegy for Arthur Henry Hallam, Tennyson’s close friend who died young. It mixes grief, love, and faith.

  • He expresses deep sorrow: “Break, break, break, On thy cold gray stones, O Sea!”
  • He struggles with faith: “I stretch lame hands of faith, and grope.”
  • In the end, he accepts death and believes in life after death.

4. When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d (1865) – Walt Whitman

This elegy mourns Abraham Lincoln’s death after the Civil War. It uses nature symbols like lilacs, a star, and a bird to express grief.

  • The western star represents Lincoln: “O powerful western fallen star!”
  • The lilac represents love and memory: “Ever-returning spring, trinity sure to me you bring.”
  • The hermit thrush’s song represents peace after death.

5. Thyrsis (1867) – Matthew Arnold

This elegy mourns Arthur Hugh Clough, Arnold’s poet friend. It uses pastoral imagery and describes the loss of youthful dreams.

  • He remembers the past: “How changed is here each spot man makes or fills!”
  • He expresses deep sorrow: “Too rare, too rare, grow now my visits here.”
  • He ends with a hopeful vision of his friend in nature.

Elegies express sorrow but often find comfort. They honor the dead and think about human life. Many great poets have written elegies to remember friends, famous leaders, or unknown people.