Elegy

Elegy: meaning

What is an 'elegy'? Here's a simple definition to get us started:

Think of an elegy as a poem that contemplates and helps the poet come to terms with the loss of a loved one. Elegies today have no set meter or rhyme scheme and are instead defined entirely by their subject matter. They are usually written in the first person, owing to the very personal nature of the poems.

Elegy: ancient history

The elegy as a poem about death and mortality is a modern concept; Earlier elegies were defined by their meter, form, and structure rather than their content. In fact, the term 'elegy' was first used in Greek and Latin writing to describe a verse written in elegiac couplets, a form of poetry featuring one line of dactylic hexameter and one line of dactylic pentameter.

By this definition, any poem that consisted of elegiac couplets was considered an elegy.

Elegy: history in English literature

It wasn't until the sixteenth century that the elegy became associated with lamentation and loss. Before then, the elegy's definition was significantly vaguer; it was often seen simply as a poem for meditation and sombre reflection.

The style was developed in the eighteenth century when it flourished during the Romantic movement:

The deeply emotive, personal nature of the elegy suited the ideas and values of the romanticists. It was so favoured during this time that the romanticists also restructured the conventions of the elegiac stanza. When reading elegies from the eighteenth century, we typically see iambic pentameter, quatrains, and an ABAB rhyme pattern. However, this structure is not prescriptive. Many poets experiment with form and meter when creating their elegies, and the only true defining characteristic of a contemporary elegy is the subject of loss, grief, and death.

Elegy: in a sentence

The word elegy is a singular noun. This means that it should be preceded by an indefinite article (a/an) or a definite article (the). It could also be preceded by a possessive adjective (my, your, his, her). Let's look at some examples:

Function of elegy

The traditional elegy has a number of unique functions, largely because it's often extremely personal and penned to help the poet work through their emotions. Let's look at some of the key ways the elegy accomplishes this.

To lament the loss of life

The first part of an elegy usually laments the loss of life of the poem's subject. By articulating their feelings on the page, the elegy can help the poet come to terms with their grief. They will often convey their pain and sorrow through their poetry, with the primary goal of the poetry being personal expression over stylistic perfection or commercial success.

Fig 1. Elegies convey the author's pain and sorrow.

To express admiration

The elegy also acts as a way for the poet to commemorate their lost loved one, remembering all of their positive contributions, achievements, and ideas.

To reach consolation

One of the primary functions of the elegy is to allow the poet to reach some form of closure. Many elegies, therefore, end with a consolation. Think of the previous functions as methods for a poet to work through their complicated emotions, allowing them to reach a point where they can come to terms with their loss. The poet may reflect on mortality and the nature of death. The consolation often contains religious overtones as a way for the poet to maintain faith in the afterlife.

Types of Elegy

There are three commonly defined subdivisions of the elegy: the pastoral elegy, the impersonal elegy, and the personal elegy. Let's look at each in more detail below.

Pastoral elegy

The most distinct sub-genre of the elegy is the pastoral elegy, which combines features of the elegy with features of pastoral poetry.

The poet takes the typical tropes of an elegy, such as mourning and admiration for a loved one, and ties it to pastoral elements. The deceased subject of the poem is often presented as a shepherd. The poet may also use natural imagery symbolically and could also depict the impact the specific person's death will have on nature. The poet may finalise his work by using the beauty of the natural world to reach a consolation about the inevitability of death and renewal.

Some popular examples of pastoral elegies are John Milton's 'Lycidas' (1637), Percy Bysshe Shelley's 'Adonais' (1821) and Matthew Arnold’s 'Thyrsis' (1865).

Personal vs impersonal elegy

It's common to refer to some elegies as personal and others as impersonal. What do we mean by this? Here are two simple definitions to clarify the difference.

Some of the most popular personal elegies are Alfred Lord Tennyson's 'In Memoriam A.H.H' (1850), Walt Whitman's 'O Captain! My Captain!' (1865), W.H Auden's 'In Memory Of W.B. Yeats' (1939) and Percy Bysshe Shelley's 'Adonais' (1821), all of which focus on the death of one particular person.

In contrast, Thomas Gray's 'Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard' (1751) meditates on the concept of death as a whole, including fear of death and its inevitability.

Elegy: examples

Let's explore two examples of elegies and how they mirror our understanding of the genre as a whole.

Walt Whitman's 'O Captain! My Captain!'

Walt Whitman's 'O Captain! My Captain! (1865) remembers the life of Abraham Lincoln following his assassination. The poem was a departure from Whitman's normal style, and it was his most popular poem during his lifetime.

The elegy simultaneously celebrates the American Civil War while mourning the death of the ship's captain, Abraham Lincoln. Here we see the combined function of the elegy, wherein it both laments a death while celebrating life. While Lincoln won the war, he is tragically not there to see it. Whitman illustrates that no triumph is without mourning and defeat. Every victory worthy of celebration must come at a severe price.