Final answer:
An elegy is a type of lyric poetry that laments over someone's death, wherein the poet reflects on the loss and virtues of the deceased. It is not to be confused with an ode, which praises its subject, whereas an elegy mourns. Thus, the completion of the sentence is 'mourning' the death of a person.
Step-by-step explanation:
An elegy is a type of lyric poetry that expresses grief or mourning, typically over the death of an individual. It embodies a sense of sadness and reflection, often highlighting the deceased's virtues and seeking consolation. One example of an elegy is William Wordsworth's "Extempore Effusion upon the Death of James Hogg," which commemorates poet James Hogg. According to Mark Strand and Eavan Boland, an elegy serves as a public poem that captures both cultural customs of death and the private emotions of the speaker. While poems such as William Heyen's "Elegy for Wilt the Stilt" explicitly state their purpose in the title, others like Milton's "Lycidas" or Hopkins' "Felix Randal" might require an understanding of historical and cultural contexts to interpret the elegiac convention at play.
In contrast to an ode, which is written in praise of its subject, an elegy is predominantly centered on the theme of loss and remembrance. Given the information above, the correct completion of the provided sentence would be 'mourning,' as an elegy is a sad and thoughtful poem mourning the death of a person.