Great Regulars: Published in 1638 when Milton was

just 29, "Lycidas" elegizes Edward King, an acquaintance of Milton's from Cambridge, who had drowned. The poem attacks the pastoral, confronts friendship, challenges ecclesiastical authority and links local experience with a variety of mythological impulses, from Greek to Roman and from Anglo to Hebraic. All this in a mere 190-some lines. At the heart of the poem is the "uncouth swain." This is Milton's characterization of the poet, an average person who aspires to attain universal truth.

from David Biespiel: The Oregonian: Milton's 'Lycidas' continues to influence

~~~~~~~~~~~