Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard Analysis

Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard
by Thomas Gray

The curfew tolls the knell of parting day,
The lowing herd wind slowly o’er the lea,
The plowman homeward plods his weary way,
And leaves the world to darkness and to me.

Now fades the glimm’ring landscape on the sight,
And all the air a solemn stillness holds,
Save where the beetle wheels his droning flight,
And drowsy tinklings lull the distant folds;

Save that from yonder ivy-mantled tow’r
The moping owl does to the moon complain
Of such, as wand’ring near her secret bow’r,
Molest her ancient solitary reign.

Beneath those rugged elms, that yew-tree’s shade,
Where heaves the turf in many a mould’ring heap,
Each in his narrow cell for ever laid,
The rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep.

The breezy call of incense-breathing Morn,
The swallow twitt’ring from the straw-built shed,
The cock’s shrill clarion, or the echoing horn,
No more shall rouse them from their lowly bed.

For them no more the blazing hearth shall burn,
Or busy housewife ply her evening care:
No children run to lisp their sire’s return,
Or climb his knees the envied kiss to share.

Oft did the harvest to their sickle yield,
Their furrow oft the stubborn glebe has broke;
How jocund did they drive their team afield!
How bow’d the woods beneath their sturdy stroke!

Let not Ambition mock their useful toil,
Their homely joys, and destiny obscure;
Nor Grandeur hear with a disdainful smile
The short and simple annals of the poor.

The boast of heraldry, the pomp of pow’r,
And all that beauty, all that wealth e’er gave,
Awaits alike th’ inevitable hour.
The paths of glory lead but to the grave.

Nor you, ye proud, impute to these the fault,
If Mem’ry o’er their tomb no trophies raise,
Where thro’ the long-drawn aisle and fretted vault
The pealing anthem swells the note of praise.

Can storied urn or animated bust
Back to its mansion call the fleeting breath?
Can Honour’s voice provoke the silent dust,
Or Flatt’ry soothe the dull cold ear of Death?

Perhaps in this neglected spot is laid
Some heart once pregnant with celestial fire;
Hands, that the rod of empire might have sway’d,
Or wak’d to ecstasy the living lyre.

But Knowledge to their eyes her ample page
Rich with the spoils of time did ne’er unroll;
Chill Penury repress’d their noble rage,
And froze the genial current of the soul.

Full many a gem of purest ray serene,
The dark unfathom’d caves of ocean bear:
Full many a flow’r is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air.

Some village-Hampden, that with dauntless breast
The little tyrant of his fields withstood;
Some mute inglorious Milton here may rest,
Some Cromwell guiltless of his country’s blood.

Th’ applause of list’ning senates to command,
The threats of pain and ruin to despise,
To scatter plenty o’er a smiling land,
And read their hist’ry in a nation’s eyes,

Their lot forbade: nor circumscrib’d alone
Their growing virtues, but their crimes confin’d;
Forbade to wade through slaughter to a throne,
And shut the gates of mercy on mankind,

The struggling pangs of conscious truth to hide,
To quench the blushes of ingenuous shame,
Or heap the shrine of Luxury and Pride
With incense kindled at the Muse’s flame.

Far from the madding crowd’s ignoble strife,
Their sober wishes never learn’d to stray;
Along the cool sequester’d vale of life
They kept the noiseless tenor of their way.

Yet ev’n these bones from insult to protect,
Some frail memorial still erected nigh,
With uncouth rhymes and shapeless sculpture deck’d,
Implores the passing tribute of a sigh.

Their name, their years, spelt by th’ unletter’d muse,
The place of fame and elegy supply:
And many a holy text around she strews,
That teach the rustic moralist to die.

For who to dumb Forgetfulness a prey,
This pleasing anxious being e’er resign’d,
Left the warm precincts of the cheerful day,
Nor cast one longing, ling’ring look behind?

On some fond breast the parting soul relies,
Some pious drops the closing eye requires;
Ev’n from the tomb the voice of Nature cries,
Ev’n in our ashes live their wonted fires.

For thee, who mindful of th’ unhonour’d Dead
Dost in these lines their artless tale relate;
If chance, by lonely contemplation led,
Some kindred spirit shall inquire thy fate,

Haply some hoary-headed swain may say,
“Oft have we seen him at the peep of dawn
Brushing with hasty steps the dews away
To meet the sun upon the upland lawn.

There at the foot of yonder nodding beech
That wreathes its old fantastic roots so high,
His listless length at noontide would he stretch,
And pore upon the brook that babbles by.

Hard by yon wood, now smiling as in scorn,
Mutt’ring his wayward fancies he would rove,
Now drooping, woeful wan, like one forlorn,
Or craz’d with care, or cross’d in hopeless love.

One morn I miss’d him on the custom’d hill,
Along the heath and near his fav’rite tree;
Another came; nor yet beside the rill,
Nor up the lawn, nor at the wood was he;

The next with dirges due in sad array
Slow thro’ the church-way path we saw him borne.
Approach and read (for thou canst read) the lay,
Grav’d on the stone beneath yon aged thorn.

The Epitaph

Here rests his head upon the lap of Earth
A youth to Fortune and to Fame unknown.
Fair Science frown’d not on his humble birth,
And Melancholy mark’d him for her own.

Large was his bounty, and his soul sincere,
Heav’n did a recompense as largely send:
He gave to Mis’ry all he had, a tear,
He gain’d from Heav’n (‘twas all he wish’d) a friend.

No farther seek his merits to disclose,
Or draw his frailties from their dread abode,
(There they alike in trembling hope repose)
The bosom of his Father and his God.

Summary of Elegy Written in a Country Cemetery
Popularity of "Elegy Written in a Country Cemetery": Thomas Gray, a renowned English poet, scholar, and teacher wrote 'Elegy Written in a Country Cemetery.' It was first published in 1751. As a narrative poem, it is a lyric poem. He is known for his theme of death and mortality. The poem mourns the death of all men, especially the poor and the unrecognized. It also talks about class differences.
"Elegy written in a rural cemetery" As a representative of pain: This poem deals with the writer's meditations on the mysterious compatriot who sleeps in the cemetery. The poet describes the auditory and visual sensations that he observes and feels in that cemetery. The sounds sad owls remind Him of the dead resting in their graves.He regrets that they cannot enjoy the fruits of life: the happiness of home, wife and work. He also comments on the fame and honor rich people enjoy in their lives. For him, the poor souls would only have performed great tasks if they had the opportunity. Now they sleep peacefully in their cells and their simple graves reflect their simplicity and morality. In contrast, he describes the lavish moments of the funeral of the wealthy seen in the same churchyard. But nothing can restore life. Even in his epitaph he asks us not to remember him as a rich, educated and great person. He wants to be remembered as a melancholy, serious and sad person. He wants to be known as the common man whom he praised and with whom he should be buried. Death, the transience of life and the memento mori are the main themes of this poem. Surrounded by death, the poem provides various images that show the contrast between life and death, mortality and the difference between different classes after death. During the poem he developed the idea that any glitter on the face of death will rust. He intends to present that the members of the lower class are commendable as compared to the upper class even after death. Their simple, illegible graves give an indication of their miserable life. The poet refrains from glorifying the virtues of the rich and famous because they enjoyed fame during their lifetime. He prefers to recognize the morality and decency of those who lived sad yet contented lives. Literary devices in Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard
Literary devices are tools that writers and poets use to convey emotions, feelings, and ideas to readers convey. Thomas Gray also used many literary devices to make the poem appealing Analysis of some literary aids used in this poem.

Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds on the same line as the sound of / o / in “There at the foot from over there nodding bee h ”and the sound of / i / in“ hands that the staff of the empire could have swayed ”.
Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant tones on the same line as the sound of / r / in“ approach and Read (for you can read) the layman ”and the sound of / l / in“ And all the air that holds a solemn silence ”.
Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds on the same line in rapid succession, such as the sound of / h / in "Maybe some gray-haired guy will say" and the sound of / w / in "The farmer returns home dragging its weary path ", and the sound of / l / in" O woke up to rapture the living lyre. "
Images: Images are used to make readers perceive things that engage their five senses. For example, "There, at the foot of that beech tree", "The next one with funeral songs due in sad arrangement" and "Each one in his cell crammed forever on".
Personification: Personification is giving human qualities to inanimate objects. For example, "Do not let ambition make fun of your useful work", "O Flatt'ry will calm the deaf and cold ear of Death" and "But Knowledge in his eyes its wide page."
Enjambment: Defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end in a line break; instead, it goes to the next line. For example,
"The next one with funeral songs due in a sad matrix
Slowly across the church path that We saw him carry. "

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard

Poetic and literary devices are the same, but some are only used in poetry. Here is the analysis of some poetic devices used in this rhyme.

Strophe: A stanza is a poetic form of verse and lines. There are thirty-two stanzas in this poem, each consisting of four lines.
Quatrain: A quatrain is a four-line stanza. Here each stanza is quatrain.
Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows the ABAB rhyme scheme and this pattern continues through to the end.
Endreim: End rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. For example “Array / Lay”, “Dawn / Lawn” and “Hide / Pride”.
Time to use quotations
The indicated lines The following is suitable as a quotation in a speech while talking about the transience of life and humility.

"Here his head rests on the lap of the earth.
A Youth to happiness and fame unknown.
Fair Science did not frown at his humble birth.