Lyrical Poetry
A Brief History of Lyrical Form Dates back as far as Classical Greece Composed to be recited to the sounds of the
lyre, flute, or other instrument. Song-like origins are central to an
understanding of this type of poetry. They concern great ideas and the histories
of peoples and countries. Examples: The heroic narratives of epic
poetry, such as Beowulf or Homer's Odyssey and Illiad
Lyrical… Lyrical refers to certain intangible qualities
in an art form—emotional, melodic, harmonious, rhythmic, heartfelt.
The term lyric or lyrical applies to music compositions, paintings, architecture, and other works of art in addition to poetry and prose.
Keep your eyes and ears open and see if these works sing to you in some way. What are they saying? Do they leave you with a single impression that you can put into words, or even one word?
Lyrics are… Honest and direct An emotional outpouring from the poet's heart Spontaneous Very human Conversational Simple, yet very moving Emotional responses to an event Reflective, trying to make sense of an experience
and applying it to a broader field of life. Almost always, create a pulse of a deep river of
feeling.
Lyrics are… Subjective, but can certainly touch on some of the great
themes of life: love death, war loss identity loneliness friendship Nature spirituality meaning, and purpose. However, in the lyric realm, expect to find insights regarding
these great themes, not lengthy arguments or dramatic events.
Lyrics Are Not… Intended to impress with erudition Overly clever Comprised of an elaborate construction
of intellectual or poetic conceits.
Format Definitive stanzas Identifiable rhyme scheme Identifiable meter Focuses more on feelings than plot
Classifying Lyrical Poetry: Content 1. Content: what is the poem about? Some of the most frequent kinds of lyric poems can be
identified by content The love poem The aubade (a dawn poem in which one of the lovers is woken by the sun) The nocturne ( a night scene) The pastoral (a poem spoken by a shepard or a poem about the
countryside) The elegy (a poem mourning death) The epithalamion (celebrating a wedding) The prayer The autobiography The flower poem The sea poem The birthday poem
Classifying Lyrical Poetry: Speech Acts Manner of expression (how are they told rather than
what they are about) Apology Apostrophe (addressing someone of something that is not
present) Declaration Boast Command Interrogation Description Hypothesis Rebuttal Meditation Confession
Classifying Lyrical Poetry: Form (obviously)
Meter Rhyme Images Diction Rhythm Narration (your narratology comes back) Stanza form
Line width Poem length Sentences (pay attention to tenses) Enjambment
Talking in Bed by Philip Larkin
Talking in bed ought to be easiest,Lying together there goes back so far,An emblem of two people being honest.
Yet more and more time passes silently.Outside, the wind's incomplete unrestBuilds and disperses clouds about the sky,
And dark towns heap up on the horizon.None of this cares for us. Nothing shows whyAt this unique distance from isolation
It becomes still more difficult to findWords at once true and kind,Or not untrue and not unkind.
Read the lyrical poem and classify the content, speech act and one aspect of form.
Why would a poet choose to utilize the lyrical form?Rather than a sonnet?