Elegiac Couplet

Greek elegiac couplets

The elegiac couplet, which is one of the oldest forms of poetry, originated in Greece. It was originally used for funeral songs. However, during the 7th century BC, it became popular to write erotic (or love) poems in elegiac couplets. As the form became more popular, it was used to discuss many themes, including politics, war, social change, and philosophy. Many key Greek elegiac couplets were written by the Alexandrine School, which is the culture of literature, medicine, and philosophy that occurred during the Hellenistic period (323–31 BC).

Catullus and Roman elegiac poetry

The importance of the elegiac couplet in Greece carried over into Italian literature, as the form was used by many key figures in the Roman Empire. One of these was Catullus, a Roman poet who wrote many poems using elegiac couplets. These couplets were also frequently used by Ovid, whose work ‘Amores’ (16 BC) was written entirely in elegiac couplets.

English elegiac couplets

The elegiac couplet entered English Literature during the medieval period when Latin works were being translated into English. Poets such as John Milton also wrote elegiac sonnets throughout their lives.

Example of elegiac couplets

Many examples of elegiac sonnets can be found in ancient Greek and Roman literature. They include Virgil’s ‘The Aeneid’ (16 BC) and Ovid’s ‘Amores’ (17 BC).

Features of elegiac couplets

Defining features of elegiac couplets include the number of lines, the meter, and the rhyme scheme used.

Number of lines

A key trait of the elegiac couplet is that it consists of two lines that are sequential (they come after one another). These couplets can occur within larger poems, but they will still be linked together. Look at the example below and try to count the number of elegiac couplets you see.

Ovid, ‘Amores: Book 1 Elegy 1 The Theme of Love’ (16 BC)

In this extract, there are two elegiac couplets. Lines 1 and 2 constitute the first, while lines 3 and 4 create the second.

Meter

The most noticeable feature of the elegiac couplet is its distinct meter. There are two different meters used in elegiac couplets. The first line uses the dactylic hexameter, while the second line uses the dactylic pentameter.

Dactylic hexameter

Dactylic hexameter was a popular meter in ancient Greece that was used for epic poetry. A line written in a dactylic hexameter consists of six metrical feet (hexa meaning six). In each foot, there is one long syllable (-) followed by two short syllables (UU). This is called a dactyl (- UU). The first five metrical feet will be dactyls, and the sixth foot is an anceps, which will be either two long syllables (called a spondee) (- -) or a long and short syllable (- U). Lines written in a dactylic hexameter will follow the following pattern:

- UU / - UU / - UU / - UU / - UU / - U

This is more noticeable in the original Latin verse of Ovid’s ‘Amores’, which reads as:

Ar m a gr a vī num er ō vio len ta que bel la parā bam

- U U / - U U / - U U / - U U / - U U / - U

In English, this translates as:

‘Ju st now, I wa s pre par ing to sta rt with hea vy fight ing’

- U U / - U U / - U U / - U U / - U U / - U

Dactylic pentameter

The second line of an elegiac couplet is written in dactylic pentameter, which is similar to the dactylic hexameter. A line of dactylic pentameter is divided into two and follows the pattern of two dactyls and a spondee. Spondees are broken into two parts. The first part, which follows the first two dactyls, is then repeated in the second part. Lines written in dactylic pentameter look like the following:

- UU / - UU / - | | - UU / - UU / -

Again, this is more noticeable in the original Latin verse of Ovid’s ‘Amores’, which reads as:

ēd er e, māt er iā con ve ni en te mo d īs.

- U U / - U U / - | - U U / - U U / -

In English, it translates as:

‘and violent war, with a measure to fit the matter.’

Rhyme scheme

There is no set rhyme scheme for elegiac couplets, meaning that the poet can use a rhyme scheme if they wish but can also leave out rhyming completely.

Open vs closed elegiac couplets

There are both open and closed elegiac couplets.

Open elegiac couplets

The first line of this couplet (from Amores: Book I) has no punctuation, leaving the sentence open to flow into the next line, where it finishes with a full stop.

Closed elegiac couplets

Many elegiac couplets are written as closed couplets, in which each line of the couplet is written as an individual sentence.

Each line ends with a piece of punctuation, meaning that the sentence has ended (closing it off).

The differences between elegiac couplets and heroic couplets