Lyric Poem. A lyric poem is a highly musical verse that expresses the emotions of a speaker and does not tell a story. Lyric poems got their name from a musical instrument known as the lyre. Lyres are stringed instruments that are similar to harps. In ancient Greece, short poems that revealed intense thoughts or feelings were either spoken or sung to the music of the lyre. Today, lyric poems may not be sung or chanted to music, but they do focus on thoughts and emotions, just as they did in ancient Greece. We also get our term for the words sung to music, or lyrics, from the lyre. As your read, think about the emotions each lyric poem reveals. You should also jot down on a separate sheet of paper words or phrases that seem musical to you.
Mood. Mood, or atmosphere, is the emotion created by the writer in a literary work. A writer creates a mood by using sensory details.
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• Edna St. Vincent Millay often wrote poetry based on her own life. “English Sparrows (Washington Square)” was written about a scene in Greenwich Village, a neighborhood in New York City where Millay lived in the early 1900s. Washington Square is at the heart of Greenwich Village. The “arch” mentioned in the poem is the Washington Memorial Arch, which overlooks Washington Square. This arch is one of the features that make Greenwich Village distinctive. The neighborhood is also known for its narrow, winding streets and old buildings, as well as SoHo, its famous shopping district. “City Trees” also probably is set in Greenwich Village.
Create a chart like the one below on your own paper. As you read both poems by Edna St. Vincent Millay, note groups of words that create a definite mood in the left-hand column and identify the mood the words create in the right-hand column.
Do you consider yourself more of a city person or more of a country person? What do you prefer about urban or rural settings?
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