Gray, T. "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard.
Full poem and exam focus summary.
1. The Curfew tolls the knell of parting day,
2. The lowing herd wind slowly o'er the lea,
3. The plowman homeward plods his weary way,
4. And leaves the world to darkness and to me.
5. Now fades the glimmering landscape on the sight,
6. And all the air a solemn stillness holds,
7. Save where the beetle wheels his droning flight,
8. And drowsy tinklings lull the distant folds;
9. Save that from yonder ivy-mantled tower
10. The moping owl does to the moon complain
11. Of such, as wandering near her secret bower,
12. Molest her ancient solitary reign.
13. Beneath those rugged elms, that yew-tree's shade,
14. Where heaves the turf in many a mould'ring heap,
15. Each in his narrow cell for ever laid,
16. The rude Forefathers of the hamlet sleep.
17. The breezy call of incense-breathing Morn,
18. The Swallow twittering from the straw-built shed,
19. The cock's shrill clarion, or the echoing horn,
20. No more shall rouse them from their lovwły bea.
21. For them no more the blazing hearth shall burn,
22. Or busy housewife ply her evening care:
23. No children run to lisp their sire's return,
24. Or climb his knees the envied kiss to share.
25. Oft did the harvest to their sickle yield,
26. Their furrow oft the stubborn glebe has broke;
27. How jocund did they drive their team afield!
28. How bowed the woods beneath their sturdy stroke!
29. Let not Ambition mock their useful toil,
30. Their homely joys, and destiny obscure;
31. Nor Grandeur hear with a disdainful smile
32. The short and simple annals of the poor.
33. The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power,
34. And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave,
35. Awaits alike the inevitable hour.
36. The paths of glory lead but to the grave.
37. Nor you, ye Proud, impute to These the fault,
38. If Memory o'er their Tomb no Trophies raise,
39. Where through the long-drawn aisle and fretted vault
40. The pealing anthem swells the. note of praise.
41. Can storied urn or animated bust
42. Back to its mansion call the fleeting breath?
43. Can Honor's voice provoke the silent dust,
44. Or Flattery sooth the dull cold ear of Death?
45. Perhaps in this neglected spot is laid
46. Some heart once pregnant with celestial fire;
47. Hands, that the rod of empire might have swayed,
48. Or waked to ecstasy the living lyre.
49. But Knowledge to their eyes her ample page
50. Rich with the spoils of time did ne'er unroll;
51. Chill Penury repressed their noble rage,
52. And froze the genial Current of the souf.
53. Full many a gem of purest ray serene,
54. The dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear:
55. Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
56. And waste its sweetness on the desert air.
57. Some village-Hampden, that with dauntless breast
58. The little Tyrant of his fields withstood;
59. Some mute inglorious Milton here may rest,
60. Some Cromwell quiltless of his country's blood.
61. The applause of listening senates to command,
62. The threats of pain and ruin to despise,
63. To scatter plenty o'er a smiling land,
64. And read their history in a nation's eyes,
65. Their lot forbade: nor circumscribed alone
66. Their growing virtues, but their crimes confin'd;
67. Forbade to wade through slaughter to a throne,
68. And shut the gates of mercy on mankind,
69. The struggling pangs of conscious truth to hide,
70. To quench the blushes of ingenuous shame,
71. Or heap the shrine of Luxury and Pride
72. With incense kindled at the Muse's flame.
73. Far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife,
74. Their sober wishes never learned to stray;
75. Along the cool sequestered vale of life
76. They kept the noiseless tenor of their way.
77. Yet even these bones from insult to protect,
78. Some frail memorial still erected nigh,
79. With uncouth rhymes and shapeless sculpture decked,
80. Implores the passing tribute of a sigh.
81. Their name, their years, spelt by the unlettered muse,
82. The place of fame and elegy supply:
83. And many a holy text around she strews,
84. That teach the rustic moralist to die.
85. For who to dumb Forgetfulness a prey,
86. This pleasing anxious being eer resigned,
87. Left the warm precincts of the cheerful day,
88. Nor cast one longing lingering look behind?
89. On some fond breast the parting soul relies,
90. Some pious drops the closing eye requires;
91. Evh from the tomb the voice of Nature cries,
92. Evn in our Ashes live their wonted Fires.
93. For thee, who mindful of the unhonoured Dead
94. Dost in these lines their artless tale relate,
95. If chance, by lonely contemplation led,
96. Some kindred Spirit shall inquire thy fate,
97. Haply some hoary-headed Swain may say,
98. "Oft have we seen him at the peep of dawn
99. Brushing with hasty steps the dewS away
100. To meet the sun upon the upland lawn.
101. "There at the foot of yonder nodding beech
102. That wreathes its old fantastic roots so high,
103. Hislistless length at noontide would he stretch,
104. And pore upon the brook that babbles by.
105. "Hard by yon wood, now Smiling as in sCorn,
106. Muttering his wayward fancies he would rove,
107. Now drooping, woeful wan, like one forlorn,
108. Or crazed with care, or crossed in hopeless love.
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109. One morn I missed him on the customed hill,
10. Along the heath and near his favorite tree;
111. Another came; nor yet beside the rill,
112. Nor up the lawn, nor at the wood was he;
113. "The next with dirges due in sad array
114. Slow through the church-way path we saw him borne.
115. Approach and read (for thou can'st read) the lay,
116. Graved on the stone beneath yon agéd thorn."
THE EPITAPH
117. Here rests his head upon the lap of earth
118. A youth to fortune and to fame unknown.
119. Fair Science frowned not on his humble birth,
120. And Melancholy marked him for her own.
121. Large was his bounty, and his soul sincere,
122. Heaven did a recompense as largely send:
123. He gave to Misery all he had, a tear,
124. He gained from Heaven (twas all he wished) a friend.
125. No farther seek his merits to disclose,
126. Or draw his frailties from their dřead abode,
127. (There they alike in trembling hope repose)
128. The bosom of his Father and his God.
Thomas Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" (published 1751) between Neoclassicism and Romanticism. It
is a meditation on death, obscurity, and the value of ordinary lives. The poem begins at dusk with a speaker contemplating a rural churchyard as day fades to night. between Neoclassicism and Romanticism
The speaker reflects on the humble graves of the poor villagers buried there, contrasting their simple lives with those of the famous and powerful. He considers how many talented individuals among these common folk might have had great potential—perhaps poets or leaders—but lacked the opportunity to develop their gifts due to poverty and circumstance.
The poem celebrates the dignity of these unremembered lives, suggesting that their simple virtues and honest labor gave their existence authentic meaning despite their obscurity.
Major Themes
1. The Democracy of Death or Death as a Leveller
Gray establishes death as the ultimate equalizer that erases all social distinctions. Noble ancestry, political power, beauty, and wealth all ultimately surrender to "the inevitable hour." The poet then addresses the privileged classes directly, urging them not to blame the poor for lacking elaborate memorials. Death makes everyone equal, yet society perpetuates inequality even in burial practices, suggesting that commemorative monuments say more about social status than human worth.
Lines 33-40
> "The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power,
> 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 Memory o'er their tomb no trophies raise,
> Where through the long-drawn aisle and fretted vault
> The pealing anthem swells the note of praise."
Gray concluded that death is a leveller that recognizes no wealth, power but subdues everyone to the same level (euphemistically "six foot under" )
2. Wasted Human Potential
Through powerful natural metaphors of hidden gems and unnoticed flowers, Gray laments talents that never had the chance to develop. He then specifies potential political resisters like Hampden, silenced poets like Milton, and leaders like Cromwell who might have been buried in this churchyard—their gifts forever undeveloped due to circumstance. The repetition of "some" emphasizes the multiplicity of lost potential among the common people.
Lines 53-60
> "Full many a gem of purest ray serene
> The dark unfathom'd caves of ocean bear:
> Full many a flower 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."
Lines 125-128
> "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."
3. Greatness Lies in Opportunity
Gray directly challenges aristocratic notions that greatness is innate, presenting instead a socioeconomic critique. Poverty ("Chill Penury") actively suppressed the villagers' potential by denying them access to education. The personification of Knowledge with her "ample page" emphasizes learning as a gateway to achievement that remains closed to the poor. The metaphor of frozen currents suggests that their natural talents were not inferior but artificially constrained by circumstance.
Lines 49-52
> "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."
4.Class Conflict
Gray confronts class prejudice directly, addressing the personified qualities of "Ambition" and "Grandeur" that represent aristocratic values. He defends the dignity of common labor ("useful toil") and simple pleasures ("homely joys") against elite contempt. By characterizing aristocratic attitudes as mockery and "disdainful smiles," Gray subtly condemns the arrogance of privilege while elevating the moral worth of ordinary lives.
Lines 29-32
> "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."
5. The Search for Self
The poem's shift to self-reflection reveals Gray's identification with the marginalized figures he commemorates. By imagining himself through a future observer's eyes, Gray positions himself among the "unhonour'd dead" whose worth might go unrecognized. The epitaph describes a figure caught between worlds—educated ("Fair Science frown'd not") yet still excluded from conventional success ("to Fortune and to Fame unknown"). This autobiographical element transforms the elegy from social commentary to personal meditation on the poet's own legacy and sense of belonging.
Lines 93-96
> "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..."
Lines 117-120
> "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."
Through these six themes, Gray's elegy offers not just a meditation on mortality but a revolutionary reassessment of human value that challenges the social hierarchies of his time while contemplating universal questions of meaning, legacy, and spiritual worth.
Information/structure
Form: 32 quatrains (stanzas) with ABAB rhyme scheme in iambic pentameter.
Lines: 32 by 4 equal to 128 lines. (That means, the poem has 4 lines per stanza though not explicitly demarcated.
Characteristics of Romanticism in the poem
The poem features some characteristics of romanticism such as: gothic, beautify of nature, emphasize on common man, individualism, emotions and imagination.
Settings (location)
Rulra atmosphere
Tone/mood
Melancholic (quite and calm) and contemplative
Literary devices
Sound Devices
1. Alliteration (repetition of initial consonant sounds)
- Moldering memorial..." (line 78)
-Some simple soul" (line 80)
- Longing, lingering look" (line 88)
2. Assonance ( repetition of vowel sounds)
- The lowing herd wind slowly o'er the lea" (line 2) - repetition of the "o" sound
- Nomore for them the blazing hearth shall burn" (line 21) - repetition of "o" sound
3. Consonance ( repeating consonant sounds either at middle or end)
- And all the air a solemn stillness holds" (line 6) - repetition of "l" sound
4. Onomatopoeia (sounding as what it describes)
- "The lowing herd" (line 2) (mimics the sound of cattle)
- "The droning flight" (line 7) (imitates the buzzing sound of insects)
Rhetorical Devices
1. Personification (to ascribe human attributes to non human)
- "Fair Science frowned not on his humble birth" (line 119) - Science given human qualities
- "Dumb Forgetfulness" (line 85) - forgetfulness depicted as an entity
- "Ambition mock their useful toil" (line 29) - ambition portrayed as mocking
- "Melancholy marked him for her own" (line 120) - melancholy as a feminine entity making choices
- "Chill Penury repressed their noble rage" (line 51) - poverty given agency
2. Metaphor (comparing two things without the word like or as )
- "The paths of glory lead but to the grave" (line 36) - life as a journey
- "Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, / And waste its sweetness on the desert air" (lines 55-56) - rural poor compared to unappreciated flowers
- "The dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear" (line 54) - hidden potential compared to undiscovered gems
3. Simile
- None as prominent as metaphors in this poem, which is interesting to note
4. Apostrophe (addressing an object that can not give response)
- "Ye proud, impute not to these simple men..." (line 37) - addressing the proud directly
5. Rhetorical Questions (questions that doesn't require an answer)
- "Can storied urn or animated bust / Back to its mansion call the fleeting breath?" (lines 41-42)
- "For who, to dumb Forgetfulness a prey, / This pleasing anxious being e'er resigned...?" (lines 85-86)
- "Who has not sought to know his own origins?" (line 91-92)
6. Antithesis (Contrasting balance ideas)
- "The simple annals of the poor" vs. "The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power" (lines 32 vs 33)
- "Some mute inglorious Milton" vs. actual famous Milton (line 59)
- "Far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife" vs. ambition and grandeur (line 73)
Structural Devices
1. Enjambment (a line running into another)
- "The rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep. / The breezy call of incense-breathing morn..." (lines 16-17)
- "If Memory o'er their tomb no trophies raise, / Where through the long-drawn aisle..." (lines 39-40)
2. Caesura (Pause in the middle of a line)
- "The curfew tolls the knell of parting day," (line 1) - pause after "tolls"
- "For them, no more the blazing hearth shall burn," (line 21) - pause after "them"
- "Some heart once pregnant with celestial fire;" (line 46) - pause after "heart"
3. Parallelism (repetition of structure or pattern)
- Some village-Hampden... / Some mute inglorious Milton... / Some Cromwell... (lines 57-60)
- Full many a gem... / Full many a flower... (lines 53-55)
Imagery
1. Visual Imagery (sight)
- "Now fades the glimmering landscape on the sight" (line 5)
- "The ivy-mantled tower" (line 9)
- "The rugged elms, the yew-tree's shade" (line 13)
- "Their furrow oft the stubborn glebe has broke" (line 26)
2. Auditory Imagery (sounds)
- "The curfew tolls the knell of parting day" (line 1)
- "The moping owl does to the moon complain" (line 10)
- "The cock's shrill clarion" (line 19)
3. Tactile Imagery
- "The ploughman homeward plods his weary way" (line 3)
- "The cold and bosom of the grave" (line 43)
Symbolic Elements
1. Symbols
- Evening/darkness: symbolizes death (lines 1-4)
- Morning/dawn: symbolizes life and vitality (lines 17-20)
- Monuments/memorials: symbolize remembrance and legacy (lines 37-40)
-Gems and flowers: symbolize hidden power, wisdom (lines 53-56)
2. Euphemism
- "Sleep" for death (line 16)
- "Narrow cell" for grave (line 15)
- "Dust" for remains (line 43)
language style
1. Archaic/Elevated Diction
- "lea" for meadow (line 2)
- "bower" for dwelling (line 24)
- "yon" for yonder/there (line 25)
- "swain" for young man (line 74)