9.5 Elegies & Eulogies
What is an Elegy?
Elegies are expressions of loss and mourning (Elegy, April 14, 2022). The word elegy is derived from the Greek word élegos, or funeral lament (Hirschi, 2014). “The poetry of lamentation, which arose in oral literature…, seems to exist in all languages and poetries” (e.g., ancient Egyptian, ancient Greek, Hebrew, Chinese, Sanskrit, Zulu) (Lament, n.d. para. 1). Elegies or lamentations can take various forms, ranging from meditative poems (sometimes accompanied by a flute, violin or piano) (Hirschi, 2014) to mournful songs (with or without lyrics). Although traditional elegies are outpourings of grief tied to death, in more recent times the use of elegies has expanded to include lamentations for someone or something that is gone or inaccessible, including lost loves tied to the ending of relationships, or as a personal reflection on loss and/or death (Buja, August 20, 2015).
Elegies
Funeral Blues (see poem, above right) is a famous elegy by W.H. Auden (1938). As with many funeral elegies, it is often read along with a quiet, somber musical accompaniment.
Below are three videos that provide illustrations of the various forms that elegies can take.
VIDEO: In Memoriam A.H.H. (Canto 27) By Lord Tenneyson — Poetry Reading #19
In the following video Peter Brown performs an excerpt from the elegy In Memoriam, penned by a devastated Lord Tennyson following the sudden death of his dear friend, Arthur Henry Hallam (In Memoriam AHH, n.d.).
VIDEO: Neil Gow’s ‘Lament for the Death of His Second Wife’
In the following video, recorded at the Highwayman pub in Kidlington, Oxforshire UK, Jed Mugford, Kate McCullough and Mike Gardiner perform Neil Gow’s haunting lament.
MUSICAL PERFORMANCE: Condor’s Lament
In the following musical recording, Painted Raven performs “Condor’s Lament” from their 2004 CD Spirit Journey.
What is a Eulogy?
A eulogy is a written speech to memorialize, honour, and pay tribute to the deceased (Campbell, March 4, 2019). The term eulogy comes from the Greek word “eulogia”, meaning “praise” or “good” or “true words” (Johnson, August 11, 2022; Szczesniak, n.d.). The giving of a eulogy “is the last formal, public testament to a dead person’s life” (Mends, June 10, 2019). It is an opportunity to reflect on the person, what made them special or unique, the impact they had on other’s lives, their accomplishments, their lifetime social contributions — in other words, how they will be remembered (Campbell, March 4, 2019). The goal being to capture “the essence of the person” (Prepare, n.d.).
The tone of eulogies vary from somber, to light, with even some comical elements, depending on the person who is giving the eulogy, who is being eulogized, and how they died (Campbell, March 4, 2019) (see for example the eulogy given by John Cleese found via the link at the bottom of this page). The goal of a eulogy is to capture “the essence of the person”, through sharing stories that illustrate who they were. Including h