A dirge (Latin: dirige, nenia[1]) is a somber song or lament expressing mourning or grief, such as may be appropriate for performance at a funeral. Often taking the form of a brief hymn, dirges are typically shorter and less meditative than elegies.[2] Dirges are often slow and bear the character of funeral marches.[3][4] Poetic dirges may be dedicated to a specific individual or otherwise thematically refer to death.[5]
The English word dirge is derived from the Latin Dirige, Domine, Deus meus, in conspectu tuo viam meam ("Direct my way in your sight, O Lord my God"), the first words of the first antiphon (a short chant in Christian liturgy) in the Matins of the Office for the Dead, based on Psalm 5. The original meaning of dirge in English referred to this office, particularly as it appeared within breviaries and primer prayer books.[6][7]: 71 [8]
- ^ Kennedy, Michael; Kennedy, Joyce Bourne (2007–2013). "nenia". The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 23 December 2023.
- ^ "Dirge". Glossary of Terms. Poetry Foundation. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
- ^ Kennedy, Michael; Bourne, Joyce (eds.). "dirge". The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. Oxford University Press – via Encyclopedia.com.
- ^ "dirge". Cambridge Dictionary. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
- ^ Broderick, Robert C., ed. (1944). "Dirge". Concise Catholic Dicitionary. Saint Paul, MN: Catechetical Guild Educational Society. p. 116.
- ^ Thurston, Herbert (1911). "The Primer". Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 12. New York City: Robert Appleton Company – via NewAdvent.org.
- ^ Pullan, Leighton (1901). Newbolt, W.C.E; Stone, Darwell (eds.). The History of the Book of Common Prayer. The Oxford Library of Practical Theology (3rd ed.). London: Longmans, Green, and Co.
- ^ Armentrout, Don S.; Slocum, Robert Boak (eds.). "Dirge". An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church: A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians. New York City: Church Publishing Incorporated.