ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the different forms Greek and Latin lyric poetry take, from short epigrams to complex choral songs and from occasional compositions to poetry-for-the-ages. Similarly, the diverse themes treated in Greek and Latin lyric poetry are discussed, such as love and politics. Special attention is paid to the issue of gender, since lyric is the genre in which most female authors, whose work has survived, composed in antiquity, while male poets used it to express their feelings for the other sex. A close study of a poem of Sappho highlights the complexities of the speaker and voice in ancient lyric poetry. Finally, the reception of ancient lyric poetry is discussed, first that of Greek lyric poetry in Latin literature and subsequently the use of images from Greek and Latin lyric poetry in modern, European poetry.
