Lycidas

lis'i-das, an elegiac poem by John Milton, published in 1638. The poem was written in memory of Edward King, a friend of Milton's who was drowned in crossing from England to Ireland in 1637. This friend was the most promising of Milton's college acquaintances. His death was mourned by many. His university friends proposed to publish a little volume of verses as a memorial and asked Milton to contribute. Lycidas was the result. Milton undertook the writing with reluctance, but produced a poem which is regarded by many critics as reaching the highest perfection of which English verse is capable. Lycidas is pastoral. There is a prologue and an epilogue. The main body of the poem represents a shepherd mourning for his friend. There are irregularities of meter, which seem to harmonize with the strong feeling displayed. The word, "Lycidas," is a name for a shepherd, and is used often by Theocritus and Virgil.