Emily Dickinson Lexicon

BARD, n. [W. bardh, or barz; Ir. bard; Fr. barde, a poet; Ir. bardas, a satire or lampoon; W. bardhas, philosophy; bardgan, a song.]

1. A poet and a singer among the ancient Celts; one whose occupation was to compose and sing verses in honor of the heroic achievements of princes and brave men. The bards used an instrument of music like a lyre or guitar, and not only praised the brave, but reproached the cowardly. – Diod. Sic. Am. Marcel. Lucan. Festus.
2. In modern usage, a poet. – Pope. Dryden.