What is Lyric Poem in English

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What is Lyric Poetry

A lyric poem is any fairly short poem uttered by a single speaker, who expresses a state of mind or a process of thought or feeling. Originally, the lyric was used to be sung to the accompaniment of a lyre.

The chief quality of a lyric poem is its emotional intensity. It is a cry from the heart of joy, sorrow, surprise etc. As powerful feelings are of short duration, the lyric is short. It is in fact, the purest form of poetry.

The lyric is usually personal i.e. the poet expresses his own feelings in it. In beauty & variety of music, English lyric poetry is supreme. Generally speaking, the lyric poem has three parts-

  1. In the first part, the theme is introduced.
  2. In the second part, the theme is enlarged.
  3. In the third part, the theme reaches its climax.

Spontaneity is an important quality of a lyric poem. The poet sings effortlessly because of an inner urge for self-expression.

Characteristics

  1. It expresses personal & emotional feelings or thoughts.
  2. It doesn’t tell a story.
  3. It has song-like qualities.
  4. It is usually short.
  5. In olden days, it was sung with a lyre.
  6. It always uses first person’s point of view.

Types

There are many different types of the lyric poem. A few examples are:

  1. Lovesong
  2. Patriotic song
  3. Hymn
  4. Elegy (a mournful poem)
  5. Ode (addressed to a person, thing etc.)
  6. Sonnet (a special 14-line poem)