Lycidas

"Lycidas" is a pastoral elegy by John Milton, written in 1637 and first published in 1638 in a collection of elegies. It is a lament for the death of Edward King, a fellow student at Cambridge who drowned in the Irish Sea. "Lycidas" is considered one of the greatest short poems in the English language. Also included is Milton's "Hymn on the Nativity," a complex and beautiful early work that showcases the poet's evolving style and profound religious devotion. These works exemplify Milton's m...