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.

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.

As a poetic device, the artistic language of elegy allows writers to express honor, reverence, mourning, and even solace. Poets utilize elegy to reflect upon and memorialize the death of important historical figures or their own personal losses.

Mar 31, 2017 · The Oxford English Dictionary defines an elegy as ‘A song or poem of lamentation, esp. for the dead; a memorial poem’. Death, and memorialising the dead, has long been a feature of poetry. Here are ten of the best elegies from English poetry, from the Middle Ages to the 1980s. What would you add to our list of the greatest elegiac poems in English?

ELEGY definition: 1. a sad poem or song, especially remembering someone who has died or something in the past: 2. a…. Learn more.

The elegy is a form of poetry in which the poet or speaker expresses grief, sadness, or loss. History of the Elegy Form. The elegy began as an ancient Greek metrical form and is traditionally written in response to the death of a person or group.

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 …

Jan 24, 2025 · Elegy is a literary device that has been used for centuries to express grief and sorrow over the death of a person or a group of people. The term “elegy” comes from the Greek word “elegos,” which means a mournful poem.

An elegy is a poem of serious reflection, and in English literature usually a lament for the dead.

An elegy is a sad poem, usually written to praise and express sorrow for someone who is dead. Although a speech at a funeral is a eulogy, you might later compose an elegy to someone you have loved and lost to the grave.