Corydon appears prominently in Virgil's Second Eclogue as a shepherd lamenting his love for the beautiful Alexis, establishing the archetype of the lovelorn pastoral swain; the name became proverbial for rustic lovers. Throughout pastoral literature, Corydon represents the intersection of desire and rural simplicity, his songs expressing both the beauty and melancholy of country life. The character recurs in Renaissance and neoclassical poetry as a conventional figure embodying pastoral longing and the bittersweet nature of love in Arcadian settings.

Corydon appears most famously in Virgil's Second Eclogue as the lovesick shepherd lamenting his hopeless passion for Alexis, but the name became conventional for the rustic lover throughout pastoral tradition. Corydon embodies the suffering shepherd whose social or personal inadequacy prevents successful courtship. Poets invoke Corydon when depicting unrequited love, rustic inadequacy in the face of refined beauty, or the shepherd's self-aware recognition of his limitations. The character demonstrates pastoral's exploration of class differences, unattainable desire, and the pain of loving beyond one's station. Corydon became so emblematic that the name itself signals pastoral love complaint.