The Uses of Lyric Literature in Modern Society

Lyric poetry is a poetic form of art, as it was often defined by the poet Robert Frost as “the language of the heart.” Lyric poetry has its roots in ancient Greek play, in which the poet paid particular attention to the lyric parts of a play. The term comes from the Greek words lyrikos ( lyric), meaning “of or pertaining to lyric arts,” and kyme (“a song”) meaning “that which moves.” In this sense, Lyric poetry can be related to other forms of ancient Greek poetry such as lyric, lyricism, or the lyric sciences.

Lyric verse is divided into two types: a lyric hymn and a narrative poem. The earliest known hymns were religious in nature, such as the Eulogy of Apollo by Hesiod. Modern scholars regard lyric as a type of music, with characteristics of lyric drama, as it was used in operas two thousand years ago, and similar forms of music were used in the ancient Greek comedies. A lyric poem, also called a sonnet, is usually written in four parts: an introduction, body, a climax, and a conclusion. Each part of the sonnet describes one aspect of the subject of the poem, and the poem’s meter, line, stanza, or stave, is chosen to reflect the poet’s choice of words. The main theme of a lyric poem may be romance, beauty, emotions, or thought.

Lyric verses are used to express poetry or song lyrics. When used to express a philosophy or spiritual concept, for example, a lyric poem such as Beowulf is a poetic story of the king of Scotland who is victorious over the enemy, Beorhtel. Another example is the nursery rhyme “Goodnight, Sleep Tight”. This nursery rhyme contains many basic features of song lyrics: a meter, line, and rhythm. The word, “night”, is an element which expresses all the ideas that go into making a song.