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 England. The pastoral scenes in Shakespeare's 'As You Like It' and 'The Winter's Tale' can be considered idylls of country life. Tennyson termed his short and pleasing narratives as 'English Idylls'. Browning wrote a series of dramatic idylls. Henry Longfellow's 'The Village Blacksmith' is an idyll.

Thus, generally, the idyll keeps close to ordinary life and gives an idealised version of it.