Lyric poetry

Lyric poetry is a formal type of poetry which expresses personal feelings, usually spoken in the first person.Scott, Clive, Vers libre: the emergence of free verse in France, 1886–1914 Clarendon Press, Oxford  The term derives from a form of Ancient Greek literature, the lyric, which was defined by its musical accompaniment, usually on a stringed instrument known as a lyre.Miller, Andrew. Greek Lyric: An Anthology in Translation/books?id=80MpjrOfTH8C&pg=PR12 pp. xii ff]. Hackett Publishing (Indianapolis), 1996. .

Examples of lyric poets from the 20th century are the Frenchmen Paul Éluard and Paul Valéry and the Englishmen Robert Graves and Ted Hughes. American poets who wrote lyric poetry H.D., Shel Silverstein, Anne Sexton, and T. S. Eliot.

Related pages
Lyrics
Ode
Epic poetry

Notes

More information

 Wilhelm, James J., (editor), Lyrics of the Middle Ages: an anthology, New York: Garland Pub., 1990. 

Category:Poetry