Definitions

Lyric Poetry—Short poem that conveys intense feelings or deep thought. Greek lyrics sung, accompanied by lyre (harp). Types of lyric: elegy, ode

Elegy—A poem of mourning

Ode—A serious or thoughtful lyric poem, usually with formal style and stanzaic structure. Types of odes:

Choral odes—sung by chorus. 3 part stanza structure: strophe & antistrophe (same meter) and epode (different meter). Pindar wrote choral odes.

Single voice odes—No change in metrical scheme. Sung by one person. Sappho wrote these; Catullus & Horace imitated these, but recited them.

Pastoral --"a poem treating of shepherds and rustic life, after the Latin for "shepherd," pastor. Invented by Theocritus in 3rd century BC. Sometimes seen as opposed to heroic (complex ideas expressed through simple personages--Wm. Empson)--looks back to more ideal, mythical "golden age" (the title of a poem by Aphra Behn), before the complexities of modern life had caused pastoral life to decay. Set in the countryside, with shepherds and shepherdesses (or other rustic characters) leading simple lives and focusing on rural pursuits and love.