ORIGIN AND

DEVELOPMENT OF
LYRIC
LYRIC IN GREECE & ROME
 Lyric is short poem that conveys intense feeling or
profound thought. In ancient Greece, lyrics were sung or
recited to the accompaniment of the lyre.
 Elegies and odes were popular forms of the lyric in
classical times. The lyric poets of ancient Greece
included Sappho, Alcaeus, and Pindar; the major Roman
lyric poets included Horace, Ovid, and Catullus.
 Lyrical poetry was also written in ancient India and
China; and the Japanese verse called haiku is a lyric.
 English lyrics were by the 14th-century master Geoffrey
Chaucer. Some scholars consider ballads, often classed as
narrative poems, lyrics because they are sung.
ELIZABETHAN LYRIC
 By the beginning of the Renaissance (14th century to 17th century)
the term lyric also was applied to verse that was not sung.
 The sung lyric, including the madrigal that is a secular part song
without instrumental accompaniment, usually for four to six singers,
making abundant use of contrapuntal imitation, may be found in
poetry of the Elizabethan era (16th century.
 Such lyrics are found in the work of the English musicians Thomas
Campion and John Dowland—as well as in the songs in the plays of
the English writer William Shakespeare.
 Italian poets such as Petrarch developed the sonnet, a lyric form
that became popular for the treatment of both secular and religious
themes in late Renaissance and early 17th-century Europe.
 Lyrics in other forms were contributed by John Skelton, Ben Jonson,
and Robert Herrick. The shorter poems of John Milton and the odes
of John Dryden were important additions to the lyric mode in the
17th century.
 The Elizabethan age is the glorious age for
songs. Though drama was the most
entertaining form in the age but lyrics were
also the important part.
 Elizabethan age is known as “the nest of
singing birds”
 Lyrics are scattered all over the plays by
Shakespeare .
CHARACTERISTICS OF
ELIZABETHAN LYRIC
1.Elizabethan lyrics were sweet and musical.
 Due to the prevailing taste for music , Elizabethan lyrics had the
sense of music in them.
 Alliteration and verbal devices are used to attain the musical

quality in lyrics.
2. Artificiality:
 In Elizabethan age lyrics were composed because it was a

fashion to write lyrics and not because the poet really had any
urge for self- expression.
 Poets sing of love without being lovers and of nature without

having any real charm for nature. They lack genuine inspiration.
 These poets have brilliant fancy/ imagination but little passion.
 The best lyrics have perfection which is never recaptured in any

age.
3. Moralizing in Nature:
 The teaching or correcting errors were
frequently found in Elizabethan lyrics.
 The poet often generalize folly of love or the
pain or idolatry (Adoration/Worship) of
lovers.
 The happiness of lowly desires, the
peacefulness of virtuous mind, the simplicity
of shepherd’s life were admired .
4. Lack of intensity and emotions:
 Elizabethan lyrics differ from romantic lyrics
as it is not spontaneous overflow of powerful
feelings.
 It is impersonal in character rather than
subjective.
LYRIC IN 17TH CENTURY

 The earlier seventeenth century, construed

as the period extending roughly from the
beginning of James I's reign to the
restoration of Charles II, witnessed an
unparalleled poetic achievement in England.
 In 17 the century lyric can be divided into
three categories:
1) METAPHYSICAL POETRY
 Metaphysical poetry has become popular as John Donne as its
founder poet. Andrew Marvel, George Herbert as the followers.
 The word 'meta' means 'after,' so the literal translation of
'metaphysical' is 'after the physical.' Basically, metaphysics deals
with questions that can't be explained by science. It questions
the nature of reality in a philosophical way.
 The group of metaphysical poets that we mentioned earlier is
obviously not the only poets or philosophers or writers that deal
with metaphysical questions. There are other more specific
characteristics that prompted Johnson to place the 17th-century
poets together.
 Perhaps the most common characteristic is that metaphysical
poetry contained large doses of wit. In fact, although the poets
were examining serious questions about the existence of God or
whether a human could possibly perceive the world, the poets
were sure to ponder those questions with humor.
 Argumetive in Nature
 Metaphysical poets were fond of displaying their knowledge and through
logical argument they tried to prove the point they wished to do.
 To explain true lovers cannot meet Andrew Marvell writes in the poem
“The Definition of Love’
As lines, so loves oblique may well
Themselves in every angle greet;
But ours so truly parallel,
Though infinite, can never meet.

 Use of Conceit:
 Inventive metaphors – or conceits – and comparisons are perhaps the most
widely known hallmark of metaphysical work. In his commentary on this
poetry, the 18th-century critic and essayist Samuel Johnson was
disturbed by the potential for conceits to ‘violent[ly]’ bring together
‘heterogeneous ideas’
  Mark but this flea, and mark in this,
How little that which thou deny’st me is;
It sucked me first, and now sucks thee,
And in this flea our two bloods mingled be;
Thou know’st that this cannot be said
A sin, nor shame, nor loss of maidenhead;

 Metaphysical poetry also sought to shock the reader and wake

him or her up from his or her normal existence in order to
question the unquestionable. The poetry often mixed ordinary
speech with paradoxes and puns. The results were strange,
comparing unlikely things, such as lovers to a compass or the
soul to a drop of dew. These weird comparisons were called
conceits.
 Metaphysical poetry also explored a few common themes. They
all had a religious sentiment.
2) CAVALIER POETS
 The Cavalier poets, members of the aristocracy, wrote
in the 17th century and supported King Charles I, who
was later executed as a result of a civil war. They
were known as Royalists. Cavalier poetry is
straightforward, yet refined.
 Many of the poems centered around sensual, romantic
love and also the idea of carpe diem, which means to
'seize the day.' To the Cavalier poet, enjoying life was
far more important than following moral codes. They
lived for the moment.
 Cavalier poetry mirrored the attitudes of courtiers.
The meaning of cavalier is showing arrogant or casual
disregard; dismissive or carefree . This describes the
attitude of Cavalier poets.
 Some of the most prominent Cavalier poets were Thomas Carew, Richard
Lovelace, Robert Herrick, and John Suckling. They emulated Ben Jonson,
a contemporary of Shakespeare. These poets opposed metaphysical
poetry, such as that of John Donne.
 While poets like John Donne wrote with a spiritual, scientific, and moral
focus, the Cavalier poets concentrated on the pleasures of the moment.
Metaphysical poets also wrote in figurative, lofty language, while the
Cavaliers were simple, being more apt to say what they meant in clear
terms.
 The Cavalier poet wrote short, refined verses, and the tone of Cavalier
poetry was generally easy-going.

 Thomas Carew, wrote about the rejection of one young woman, Celia,
whom he refuses to pursue further. Here is the first and last stanza of his
poem entitled 'Disdain Returned.'
He that loves a rosy cheek,
Or a coral lip admires,
Or from starlike eyes doth seek
Fuel to maintain his fires;
LYRIC IN THE 18TH
CENTURY/ROMANTIC POETRY
 . In the mid-18th century in England Thomas Gray
and William Collins wrote important odes and
elegies; at the end of the century the Scottish
poet Robert Burns wrote lyrics in his native
dialect. English lyric poetry flourished in the
romantic period (18th century and 19th century).
 Songs of Innocence (1789) and Songs of
Experience (1794) by William Blake, Lyrical
Ballads (1798) by William Wordsworth and Samuel
Taylor Coleridge, and numerous short poems by
John Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Lord Byron
include outstanding lyrics.
 Romanticism in poetry arose in response to the enlightenment ideals that prevailed in the
18th century. This form of poetry emphasizes on emotions rather than reason. William
Wordsworth strengthened the movement of romanticism in poetry to a great extent.

Ironically, his verses incorporated a language that was more colloquial than poetic. The
Romantic Movement began somewhere around the end of the 18th century, and instantly
struck a chord among the poets and readers across the globe.

 Growing interest in folklore was one of the early signs of romantic poetry becoming
popular. Some of the important romantic poetry characteristics are passionate display of
emotion, interest in the supernatural, idealism, and affinity towards nature.
Characteristics and Elements of Romantic Poems

 The most important feature of this form of poetry is imagination. The different
characteristics of romantic poetry are elaborated in the sections given below.
Imagination
In the words of William Wordsworth, 'poetry is the first and last of all knowledge'. The
phenomenon of imagination is the essence or core of romantic poetry. According to
romantic poets, it is possible to attain a transcendental experience by means of
imagination. It takes us near to spiritual truth.


Emotions
 When it comes to romantic poetry, reason and logic take a backseat. The one thing which rules the
world of romanticism is emotion. Romantic poetry is one of the best means to let loose one's emotions
through words. The overflow of emotions depicted through romantic poetry transcends the boundaries
of logical reasoning. Spontaneity in romantic poetry arises from an emotional outflow, and sometimes,
pain is the inspiration.


Nature
A romantic poet can let loose his/her imagination in the process of interpreting natural phenomena. It
is said that romantic poetry associated with nature is kind of a meditative process. The rationalists
tend to view or associate nature with some kind of a machine. A romanticist's perception of nature is
that of an organic phenomenon. Nature is also viewed as a setting or place which offers break from
the artificial world that we inhabit. Nature is respected and considered as sourse of inspiration.
One impulse from vernal wood
May teach you more of man
Of moral,evil and of good
Than all the sages can


Pastoral Life
The pastoral life, culture, and traditions are mentioned on a frequent basis in romantic poetry. In
most cases, the relaxed and slow-paced pastoral life of shepherds is depicted in these poems.
Romantic poetry employs this feature in order to present before readers the complexities of life in a
simple manner. Contrasting features of country and urban life can also be depicted by the portrayal of
pastoral life.
LYRIC IN 19TH CENTURY
/VICTORIAN POETRY
 Poetry written during the reign of Queen Victoria from 1837
to 1901 is defined as Victorian poetry. The defining
characteristics of Victorian poetry are its focus on sensory
elements, its recurring themes of the religion/science
conflict, and its interest in medieval fables and legends.
 Victorian poetry is characterized by both religious
skepticism, inherited from the Romantic Period, but
contrarily also devotional poetry that proclaims a more
mystical faith. Religion becomes more of a personal
experience expressed through poetry.
 During the Victorian era, however, there was a lot of radical
social change and as such, many poets of this time didn’t
like the romanticized version of society. The Victorian
poetry is, thus, divided into two main groups of poetry: The
High Victorian Poetry and The Pre-Raphaelite Poetry.
 Another characteristic of Victorian poetry was the
sentimentality. Victorian Poets wrote about
Bohemian ideas and furthered the imaginings of the
Romantic Poets. Poets like Emily Bronte, Lord Alfred
Tennyson prominently used sentimentality in their
poems.
 The husband and wife poet duo,
Elizabeth Barrett-Browning and Robert Browning
conducted their love affair through verse and
produced many tender and passionate poems. Most
prominent of which are Elizabeth Barrett-Brownings
Sonnets from Portuguese, the most notably her If
thou must love me and How do I love thee.
 The reclaiming of the past was a major part of Victorian literature with
an interest in both classical and medieval literature of England. The
Victorians loved the heroic, chivalrous stories of knights of old and they
hoped to regain some of that noble, courtly behaviour and impress it
upon the people .
 One such characteristic, or feature, is the Victorian interest in Medieval
legends, myths and fables over the classical legends and mythology
embraced by the preceding Romantic poets. Another is a more realistic
and less idealized view of nature.
 The best example of this is Alfred Tennyson’s Idylls of the King, which
blended the stories of King Arthur, particularly those by Thomas Malory,
with contemporary concerns and ideas. Poets like Gerard Manley Hopkins
drew inspiration from verse forms of Old English poetry such as Beowulf.
 Another is a change of emphasis on what types of common people and
common language is emphasized in poetry: whereas for Romantics it was
the country rustic, for the Victorians it is more often the common urban
dweller.also
 One of the main defining characteristics of Victorian poetry is that it is
pictorial, which means it uses detailed imagery to convey thoughts and
emotions. While many poets use imagery, the Victorians took this a step
 lyric poetry was a dominant genre of poetry emerging
during the 19th century, deriving from the Victorian
conventions of narrative and dramatic poetry.
 The lyric is distinguished as one of the three broad group of
poetry. The general principles that define lyric poetry are
its conventions of being a shorter poem in which the
narrator expresses personal feelings that are often directly
addressed to the reader.
 the “Victorian Lyric” adopted was more “linguistically self-
conscious and defensive” than the Lyric of the Romantic
era.
 Victorians often mixed up their genres, so the lyric became
incorporated with other forms such as the dramatic
monologue or “dramatic lyric”. Robert Browning was the
master of writing dramatic monologues.
 The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood also drew on
myth and folklore for their art, with Dante
Gabriel Rossetti regarded as the chief poet
amongst them, though modern scholars
consider his sister Christina to be a stronger
poet, of the two.
LYRIC IN 20TH CENTURY /
MODERN POETRY
 Modernist poetry in English started in the early
years of the 20th century with the appearance of
the Imagists. In common with many other
modernists, these poets wrote in reaction to the
perceived excesses of Victorian poetry, with its
emphasis on traditional formalism and ornate
diction. In many respects, their criticism echoes
what William Wordsworth wrote in Preface to
Lyrical Ballads to instigate the
Romantic movement in British poetry over a
century earlier, criticizing the vulgar and
pompous school which then pervaded, and
seeking to bring poetry to the layman.
 T. S. Eliot
 He is one of the most remarkable of English poets. He had great
influence on poetry for more than forty years. He sees poetry and
ceremony as forces that can give meaning to the emptiness and
confusion of the modern world. He gives great importance to the
forces that make it possible for spiritual as well as physical life to
continue.
 The Waste Land is Eliot’s major work. It is very long and complex
poem. The poem contains many old myths, literary allusions,
languages, music as well as different kinds of characters. There is
spiritual dryness in the wasteland where renewal of life is
impossible. The poem shows the emptiness and meaninglessness of
modern life and modern world. Eliot sees the root cause of modern
world’s unhappiness and confusion is the people’s inability to bring
together the different areas of their experiences to make a
complete and healthy whole.
 G
 W. B. Yeats
 He was, without doubt, one of the greatest English poets. By birth and
temperament, he was the poet of the Irish traditions. Irish history, people,
language, traditions and nationalism are always in the mind of the poet when
he is writing, though the theme of his later poetry in universal. The use of
symbol and imagery and the combination of magic and mystery also become
characteristic of Yeats, great poetry. At times we find the use of classical and
mythology in his poetry. His later poetry uses plainer language in its
description of human nature.
 Thomas Hardy
 Hardy is regarded as a great English poet of this century. He wrote poetry
throughout his long life and considered it more important than his novels. As a
poet, he sets out to show the other side of common emotions. His poetry does
not suggest that life is a bitter tragedy. Hardy believes that life is hard and
uncertain, but the man possesses the strength to tolerate its hardship and
continues to struggle in life. His poetry shows great delight in the natural
beauty of the world and at the touch of humor in events. Hardy describes
human hardship and suffering by looking at them from a distance. Though his
language is generally direct, at times, it is loaded with unusual words and
sentences.