Lyric
An English word for the words of a song or poetry expressing personal emotion, derived from lyrikos meaning "of or for the lyre," the instrument that accompanied Greek sung poetry
The Meaning of Lyric
The word "lyric" derives from the Greek lyrikos, meaning "of or for the lyre," the stringed instrument that accompanied sung poetry in ancient Greece. Lyric poetry emerged in the seventh and sixth centuries BCE as a personal, intimate alternative to the grand narratives of epic. While epic poetry told stories of gods and heroes in the third person, lyric poets spoke in the first person about their own experiences — love, loss, longing, anger, and the pleasures of the moment. The great lyric poets included Sappho of Lesbos, whose intensely personal love poems have influenced writers for over two and a half millennia; Pindar, who composed triumphal odes for athletic victors; Alcaeus, who wrote drinking songs and political verse; and Anacreon, whose celebrations of wine and love gave us the word "anacreontic." These poems were performed with musical accompaniment — the modern distinction between poetry and song lyrics did not exist. The word "lyric" entered English and now applies to both poetry of personal expression and the words of songs. Song lyrics, lyrical prose, and lyric poetry all trace their name to the instrument held by poets performing at Greek symposia and festivals.
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None recorded
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Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
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Hymnos
💭 conceptreligion, literature
A sacred song or poem of praise addressed to a god — one of the primary forms of Greek religious expression and literary composition.
Epode
💭 conceptliterature, ritual
A chant sung after the main verses — in lyric poetry, the closing section of a triadic structure; in religious practice, a magical incantation or charm.
Erato
⚡ godLyric and love poetry
Muse of lyric and erotic poetry who inspires romantic verse and song
Muse
💭 conceptLanguage and creativity
An English word meaning a source of artistic inspiration, derived from the nine Muses of Greek mythology who presided over the arts and sciences
Lyre of Orpheus
💭 conceptArtefact
The enchanted stringed instrument whose music could charm all living things, trees, and stones
Pindar
💭 conceptLyric poetry, victory odes
Greatest Greek lyric poet renowned for his epinician odes celebrating athletic victors
Epic
💭 conceptLanguage and literature
An English adjective meaning grand in scale or heroic, derived from the Greek epos meaning word or speech, referring to the tradition of long narrative poems about heroes and gods
Homer
💭 conceptEpic poetry, Troy, Odyssey
Legendary blind poet credited with composing the Iliad and the Odyssey
Pindar Odes
💭 conceptLiterature
Pindar's victory odes celebrating athletic champions at the great Panhellenic festivals of ancient Greece
Virgil
💭 conceptEpic poetry, Rome, fate
Roman poet who composed the Aeneid linking Rome's founding to the Trojan War through Aeneas's journey
Homeric Hymns
💭 conceptLiterature
A collection of thirty-three ancient Greek hymns celebrating individual Olympian and chthonic deities
God of Music
💭 conceptMusic, poetry, archery, prophecy, healing, plague
Apollo presides over music and the arts, wielding a golden lyre that can charm gods and mortals alike.