A short introduction to odes in general.

1. ODE
Ms. B. Poovilangothai
Assistant Professor,
Department of English,
Government Arts and Science
College, Arakkonam
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2. What is an ode?
• Ode is of Greek origin. It is serious in nature. It is written with rhyme and is
usually long. It is in the form of an address. It is also sometimes written in honor
of some important public events.
• The object of discussion in an ode is usually of great importance. The tone and
style are serious, sincere etc.
• The ode is longer than a lyric poem and the emotions expressed in them are deep
and sincere but at the same time they are also elaborate, lofty and diffuse.
• It talks directly to the object of discussion. The opening lines contain an
apostrophe or appeal. This is a special feature of Odes.
• Odes may also have public events as their themes. Some of the famous odes on
public events are
• Andrew Marvell's "Upon Cromwell's Return from Ireland" and Tennyson's "Ode
on the Death of the Duke of Wellington".
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3. Kinds of Odes
Greek Odes were of two kinds:
Dorian or Pindaric Ode
Lesbian Ode
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4. Dorian Ode:
The Dorian Ode got its name from the district and dialect from which it originated. It
was performed as a chorus and dancers danced along with it. It has three parts namely, a
Strophe, Antistrophe and an Epode which are nothing but stanzas. When the singers
sang the Strophe, the dancers turned from right to left and while performing the
Antistrophe, the dancers moved in the opposite direction, i.e from left to right. The
Epode is different from the Strophe and Antistrophe in structure and in performance.
When the Epode was sung, the dancers stood still. Poets increased the length of their
poems by adding the Strophe, Antistrophe and Epode as many times as they liked. The
best example of this type of Ode in English is Thomas Gray's poem "The Progress of
Poesy" and "The Bard". This Ode is also called Pindaric Ode in honor of the Greek poet
Pindar who had used this form very effectively.
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5. The Lesbian or Horatian Ode
This kind of Ode arose in an island called Lesbos and later on a
Roman poet called Horace popularized this form. Therefore it is
called Lesbian or Horatian Ode. The Ode is simple in form compared
to the Dorian or Pindaric Ode. It had many short stanzas which were
similar in length and arrangement. The theme was treated directly
and with dignity.
Example: A Horatian Ode Upon Cromwell's Return from
Ireland to England by Andrew Marvell.
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6. The Exception
Not all English Odes followed the Pindaric or the Horatian
Style. Poets like Shelly and Keats wrote Odes which had
exactly similar stanzas while Wordsworth, Tennyson and
Robert Bridges wrote odes which had different
arrangements in each of the stanzas.
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7. Famous Odes in English Literature
Andrew Marvell, ‘An Horatian Ode upon Cromwell’s Return from Ireland’
Aphra Behn, ‘On Desire’
Thomas Gray, ‘Ode on the Death of a Favourite Cat’
William Wordsworth, ‘Ode: Intimations of Immortality’
Samuel Taylor Coleridge, ‘Dejection: An Ode’
Percy Shelley, ‘To a Skylark’
John Keats, ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’
Paul Laurence Dunbar, ‘Ode to Ethiopia’
Allen Tate, ‘Ode to the Confederate Dead’
Ashanti Anderson, ‘Ode to Black Skin’
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8. Thank You!
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