Definition of elegy. plural. elegies. 1 : a poem in elegiac couplets. 2a : a song or poem expressing sorrow or lamentation especially for one who is deadb : something (as a speech) resembling such a song or poem. 3a : a pensive or reflective poem that is usually nostalgic or melancholyb : a short pensive musical composition.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 â March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator whose works include  Paul Revere's Ride , The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline. He was also the first American to translate Dante Alighieri 's The Divine Comedy, and was one of the five Fireside Poets.
Henry David Thoreau (12 July 1817 â 6 May 1862) was an American writer and philosopher; born David Henry Thoreau.