THE ELEGY :
Elegy means “a lament “ in Greek . In classical Literature an Elegy was any poem composed of couplets of dactylic hexameters and pentameters . The subjects were various death, war , love and similar things. The elegy was also used for epitaphs. Many touching poems of personal loss have been written in English though the formal elegy demands a dignity and solemnity without a sense of strained effort or artificiality . Of such personal elegies of note are Shelley’s “Adonais” mourning the death of Keats

THE PASTRORAL ELEGY:

The major elegies belong to a sub – species known as Pastoral elegy , the origin of which are traceable to the pastoral laments of Theocritus of Sicily and his successors Moschus and Bion. It was Theocritus who set an example for Milton’s Lycidas , Shelley’s Adoais and Arnold’s Thyrsis.

Features :

1. The scene is pastoral.
2. The poem begins with an invocation.
3. Diverse mythological characters are referred to.
4. Nature is involved in mourning – Nature feels the wound.
5. There is a procession of mourners.
6. There is a flower passage.
7. The elegy ends on a ote of hope and joy.