eclogue

American  

[ek-lawg, -log] / ˈɛk lɔg, -lɒg /

noun

1. a pastoral poem, often in dialogue form.

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eclogue British  

/ ˈɛklɒɡ /

noun

1. a pastoral or idyllic poem, usually in the form of a conversation or soliloquy

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Etymology

Origin of eclogue

1400–50; late Middle English eclog < Latin ecloga < Greek eklogḗ selection, akin to eklégein to select; see ec-

Explanation

An eclogue is a short, dramatic poem that's set in the countryside. If the poem you're reading includes a conversation between shepherds, it's probably an eclogue. There are other types of poetry that focus on idealized rural life, including bucolics and idylls. While these terms are often used interchangeably, an eclogue is distinguished by its dramatic form, the likelihood that it includes a shepherd's monologue (or a dialogue between two of them), and usually some reference to the delightful simplicity of the country compared with the complexities of urban society and politics. The Greek root, ekloge, means "a selection of poems."

Example Sentences

To this personage, a Roman Consul, the poet dedicated his Fourth Eclogue, prophesying the birth of a child who should usher in a new era of peace.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Age of Anxiety, subtitled "A Baroque Eclogue," glitters with evidence of both.

From Time Magazine Archive

They have no real parallel in any series imitative of Virgil’s second Eclogue, or in occasional sonnets to patrons or patron-friends couched in the high-flown language of the time.

From Oxford Lectures on Poetry by Bradley, Andrew Cecil

At lines 10–11 there is, as in Eclogue ii., an apparent blending of the occupations of the Italian vinedresser with those of the Sicilian shepherd.

From The Roman Poets of the Augustan Age: Virgil by Sellar, W. Y.

Pope copied Oldham's version of Virgil's eighth Eclogue: Charms in her wonted course can stop the moon.

From The Works of Alexander Pope, Volume 1 New Edition by Pope, Alexander