Dirge
Song that expresses lament or grief / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Dirge?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
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]:ā71ā[8]