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?