▁Much ▁of ▁Greek ▁ly ric ▁is ▁occas ional ▁poetry , ▁composed ▁for ▁public ▁or ▁private ▁performance ▁by ▁a ▁solo ist ▁or ▁ch orus ▁to ▁mark ▁particular ▁occasions . ▁The ▁sym pos ium ▁(" dr inking ▁party ") ▁was ▁one ▁setting ▁in ▁which ▁ly ric ▁po ems ▁were ▁performed . ▁" L y ric " ▁was ▁sometimes ▁s ung ▁to ▁the ▁accompan iment ▁of ▁either ▁a ▁string ▁instrument ▁( part icular ly ▁the ▁ly re ▁or ▁k ith ana ) ▁or ▁a ▁wind ▁instrument ▁( most ▁often ▁the ▁re ed ▁pipe ▁called ▁a ulos ). ▁Whether ▁the ▁accompan iment ▁was ▁a ▁string ▁or ▁wind ▁instrument , ▁the ▁term ▁for ▁such ▁accompanied ▁ly ric ▁was ▁mel ic ▁poetry ▁( from ▁the ▁Greek ▁word ▁for ▁" song " ▁mel os ). ▁Ly ric ▁could ▁also ▁be ▁s ung ▁without ▁any ▁instrument al ▁accompan iment . ▁This ▁latter ▁form ▁is ▁called ▁meter ▁and ▁it ▁is ▁rec ited ▁rather ▁than ▁s ung , ▁strictly ▁speaking . ▁ ▁Modern ▁surve ys ▁of ▁" G reek ▁ly ric " ▁often ▁include ▁relatively ▁short ▁po ems ▁composed ▁for ▁similar ▁purposes ▁or ▁circumstances ▁that ▁were ▁not ▁strictly ▁" song ▁lyr ics " ▁in ▁the ▁modern ▁sense , ▁such ▁as ▁eleg ies ▁and ▁i amb ics . ▁The ▁Gree ks ▁themselves ▁did ▁not ▁include ▁eleg ies ▁nor ▁i amb us ▁within ▁mel ic ▁poetry , ▁since ▁they ▁had ▁different ▁metres ▁and ▁different ▁musical ▁instruments . ▁The ▁Edinburgh ▁Comp an ion ▁to ▁An cient ▁Greece ▁and ▁Rome ▁offers ▁the ▁following ▁clar ification : ▁"'