A Poetry Byte
The Idyll The Idyll is not a distinct species of poetry; it may take the form of a short lyric, a longer poem, a passage in a play, epic, ballad or any other kind of poem. The Idyll derives its name from a Greek word meaning, 'a little picture'. It is a description generally in verse of some scene or event, which is strikingly picturesque and complete in itself. The idyll has its origin with classical poets like Theocritus and Virgil. They wrote pastoral idylls. A pastoral idyll avoids the mournful tone of a pastoral elegy and confines itself to the description of placid and happy existence. The two important characteristics of the idyll are its brevity and pictorial effect. One of the earliest idylls in English is Marlowe's 'The Passionate Shepherd to his Love'. Milton's L'Allegro can be considered a series of idylls - each one a picture of happy life. Wordsworth's 'Lines Written in March' is a beautiful idyll depicting a spring scene in Engla...