ode

An ode is a form of lyric poetry expressing praise, exaltation, or deep reflection. The word derives from the Greek aeidein, "to sing." Odes originated in ancient Greece, often associated with public ritual and celebration, but evolved into several formal types over time.

In classical Greek poetry, the Pindaric ode (named for Pindar) featured a three-part structure: strophe, antistrophe, and epode, and was composed to celebrate athletic victories and other achievements. The later Roman poet Horace adapted the ode into a more personal, reflective mode, the Horatian ode, generally characterized by a uniform stanzaic pattern, measured diction, and meditative tone.

A third tradition, the irregular ode, emerged in the 18th and 19th centuries with English poets such as William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and John Keats. This form favors varied lengths and stanzaic shapes and closer attention to daily experience. Keats's Odes to a Nightingale and Ode on a Grecian Urn are classic examples; Shelley’s Ode to the West Wind is another influential late example.

Common features across odes include elevated diction, an aspirational or solemn mood, and often apostrophe—addressing a person, a muse, or a force of nature. The subject matter tends toward praise, contemplation, or lament, and the form remains flexible, with modern odes frequently written in free verse or mixed meters.

Ode exists as both a historical category within classical poetry and a broad contemporary term for lyric meditations that celebrate or reflect on important subjects.