Final answer:
An ode is a long lyric poem that praises its subject and is serious and dignified in nature. Odes differ from elegies, which mourn the dead, sonnets with their specific fourteen-line structure, and epics which narrate heroic adventures.
Step-by-step explanation:
The poem being described in the question is an ode, which is a long lyric poem focused on a particular subject, marked by a serious tone, and addressing themes with a sense of dignity. Odes are typically written to express admiration or praise for their subjects, such as in John Keats's 'Ode on a Grecian Urn' and 'To Autumn', which both extol the virtues of an ancient artifact and the season of fall, respectively. Contrasting this with an elegy, we find that elegies like William Wordsworth's 'Extempore Effusion upon the Death of James Hogg' serve to express grief for the deceased. A sonnet, while also a form of lyric poetry, is characterized by its 14 lines and a volta that changes the direction or tone of the poem. Lastly, an epic is a lengthy narrative poem that recounts the adventures of heroic figures and is not necessarily addressed to a particular subject but rather tells a larger story, often based on historical or mythological events.