ELEGY: DEFINITION & TYPES:
The term "Elegy" is derived from the Greek word "elegus", which means a song of bereavement sung in the company of a flute. It is a type of lyric written to mourn the death of someone near or dear. In Greek and Roman times Elegy referred to any poem composed in elegiac meter. Elegiac meter is constructed in alternating dactylic hexameter and pentameter lines. In English literature, elegy became popular during the 16th century.
Elegy begins with an invocation to muse, like epic. It is personal or subjective where the poet expresses his grief for the loss of something or someone. Questions on destiny, justice, fate are raised by the poet in elegies. Some events of the poet's personal life associated with the deceased are also presented here. Christian elegies begin with a sad note, but end with a happy note, because as per the Christian belief, death releases the soul to eternity.
Elegies are of two kinds - Personal Elegy and Impersonal Elegy. In a personal elegy, the poet laments the death of some close friend or relative. ‘Rugby Chapel' by Arnold is an example of a personal elegy. In impersonal elegy, the poet grieves over human destiny or over some aspect of contemporary life and literature. ‘Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard', by Thomas Gray is an example of an impersonal elegy. Other famous elegies of English literature are John Milton's 'Lycidas', Thomas Gray's 'Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard', Alfred Tennyson's 'Break Break Break', ‘In Memory of W.B. Yeats’ by W.H. Auden, ‘To An Athlete Dying Young’ by A. E. Housman and ‘Because I Could Not Stop For Death’ by Emily Dickinson.
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