The following version of this poem was used to create this guide: Milton, John. "Lycidas." The Major Works. Oxford University Press, 2008. 39-44. Print.

Note that parenthetical citations refer to the line number in which the quotation appears.

"Lycidas" begins with a short preface that John Milton added in 1645. It reads: "In this monody the author bewails a learned friend, unfortunately drowned in his passage from Chester on the Irish Seas, 1637. And by occasion foretells the ruin of our corrupted clergy then in their height" (39).

As the poem proper begins, the speaker announces that he is returning to the laurels and myrtles to mourn his friend and fellow shepherd Lycidas. He entreats nature and the muses to help him grieve for Lycidas, as they grew up together and served as shepherds in the same field. He briefly reflects on how they would sing songs together before once again realizing Lycidas is gone. He addresses Lycidas directly by saying that nature will no longer move itself toward his song.

The speaker then asks the nymphs where they were when Lycidas was dying and why they did not intervene. But he understands that nothing could have been done to prevent Lycidas's death. He questions what use there is to the shepherd's trade when his friend died before he was able to achieve fame. But Apollo (appearing as Phoebus, his Roman name) tells the speaker that fame on earth is secondary to eternal life in heaven. The speaker keeps inquiring, however, whom to blame for the death of his friend, calling on a number of figures from the ancient world.

One person to whom the speaker turns is Saint Peter, known as "the pilot of the Galilean lake" (109). Saint Peter condemns corrupt shepherds who feed only themselves and do not provide for the flock. He accuses them of not knowing how to care for the sheep, who eventually die at their hands. Saint Peter threatens to smite these unworthy shepherds at the last judgement.

The speaker returns to his plea to his surroundings and asks the valleys to send all their funeral flowers to help decorate Lycidas's coffin. This, the speaker says, will help "to interpose a little ease" as he grieves for his friend (152). The speaker knows, however, that Lycidas is not in a coffin but instead strewn variously across the sea. He asks the dolphins to help guide Lycidas's body after his death.

As the poem concludes, the speaker asks his fellow shepherds to mourn no longer. He compares Lycidas to the rising and setting sun, saying that "sunk though he be beneath the watery floor," he will rise again in heaven (167). The speaker asks the saints to entertain Lycidas as he enjoys the spoils of eternal life.

In the final lines of the poem the perspective shifts outward and another speaker narrates: "Thus sang the uncouth swain to th'oaks and rills" (185). The new speaker describes the actions of the previous speaker, saying he admired his surroundings once more before pulling his cloak around him and setting out for "pastures new" (193).