ODE, a short lyrical poem containing a vivid expression of the feelings of the poet in moments of high excitement. Among the Greeks and Romans the ode (ὠδὴ, a song) was intended to be sung, and was usually accompanied by some
musical instrument, especially the lyre. Hence the expression "lyric poetry," of which the earliest forms seem to have been the ode. The most celebrated classical odes are those of Pindar, Anacreon, and Horace, which are still recognised by the moderns as models in that species of poetical composition. In the modern use of the word, however, the ode differs, on the one hand, from the song, by greater length and variety, and by not being necessarily adapted to music; and, on the other, from the ballad, by generally excluding narrative, and limiting its range exclusively to the expression of feeling or passion on a given subject. In English literature the odes of Dryden, Gray, and Collins are much esteemed. (See POETRY.)