What is lyric poetry? It’s hard to define except by negatives ... to the accompaniment of the eponymous lyre, in company – often the fancy upper-class drinking parties known as symposia.

Here Burns flatters Miss Scott's poetry by stating that she 'sweetly tune[s] the Scottish lyre'. That the poet took time to reply in such complimentary verse would suggest that Burns was impressed ...

Did you know that we get the word lyrics from the fact that, in ancient times, poets would say their poems out loud whilst playing a musical instrument called the lyre? Poets often perform with a ...