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Lyric verse (from Greek lurikos, ‘for the lyre’) was originally distinguished from such other forms as epic or narrative. It was short and usually dealt with a single mood or event. It was intended for musical setting, and accordingly (as was common in Greek poetry) used one or other of the intricate metres which underlay both words and music. Much of this has persisted. Lyrics are still short poems, often in self-consciously intricate or stylized metres, and deal with specific events or emotions, sometimes in an anecdotal way, sometimes drawing out parallels between the private moment and wider human experience. In common modern usage, ‘lyric’ (as an adjective) is used instead of ‘lyrical’ in such phrases as ‘flights of lyric imagination’, and (as a noun) has reverted to its roots, meaning verse specifically intended for musical setting and naked without it. KMcL |
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