Genre Studies- Unit-IV Idyll

 

Idyll

Distinguishing Features

            In English verse the Idyll is not a distinct species by itself. It may sometimes be a lyric; sometimes a longer poem; and sometimes a passage in an elegy, play, epic or ballad.

            It has no set form. It derives its name from a Greek word meaning “a little picture”. In poetry, it is associated with relative brevity and pictorial effect. The poet presents a picture in a few words or a series of pictures composing a longer poem. The pictorial effect is achieved by graphic description, as colour is used in a painting. Every Idyll must aim at a vivid visual presentation of its theme. Often it is used to give a concrete image of an abstract idea. Milton’s “L’ Allegro” is a picture of the happy life. Wordsworth’s “Lines Written in March” depicts a spring scene in England after the rain is over and gone. The pastoral scene in Shakespeare’s “As you Like it” form an Idyll of country life. Tennyson used the term for the short and pleasing narratives in his “English Idylls” and Browning wrote a series of “Dramatic Idylls”.

 

Style and Treatment

            The Idyll is not a mere objective description of persons, places, or things. It is the poet’s own version of what he has seen or felt. A mere description of facts would not constitute a successful Idyll; it is a poetic colouring. The language is usually carefully chosen to given the desired pictorial impression. It may be direct and straightforward.

Wordsworth’s “Lines Written in March”

The cock is crowing,

The stream is flowing,

The small birds twitter,

The lake doth glitter,