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Shvoong Home>Books>Poetry>Abstract on “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” by Thomas Grey Review

Abstract on “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” by Thomas Grey

Book Review   by:akso6o175     Original Author: Andy Kester Sawian
  • Summary rating: 5 stars (12 Ratings)
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‘Elegy Written in a Country Graveyard’ is one of the finest elegies in the English language. Gray’s transfer of the elegiac subject from an individual whose loss is mourned, to the lamentation for a community’s ignominy involved in a fresh mode of articulation for things and lives lost. Structured through a series of quatrains, the extremely melodic cadence of the lines not only contributes to the effect of melancholy and loss, but such a process also validates the speaker’s concern with a stamp of authenticity. The poem’s reference to the potential of unheralded and unfamiliar village folk has often been seen as one of the hallmarks of this extra-ordinary eighteenth century evocation of pathos in the context of community life and culture.
“The curfew tolls the knell of parting day,
The lowing herd wind slowly o’er the lea,
The ploughman homeward plods his weary way,
And leaves the world to darkness and to me.”
Silence descends on the earth as the sun sets and the sounds of the day slowly melt away. The poet is sitting in the churchyard, as a bell rings announcing the end of the day. Animals are returning from the pastures and the tired ploughman is also returning home. The poet is now alone surrounded by the growing darkness. This sense of ending pervades the poem and brings out the theme of death, which is the inevitable end of human life.

“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 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”
The poet talks about the simple lives of the people living n the village. Their unsophisticated lives do not require them to have ambition. They stay in the village doing the same work their ancestors did. There may be no glamour or excitement in their lives or their work seems unimportant, but they are not to be mocked. They are not to be judge because when they die, their history will be more profound than any rich man’s history. Wealth, power and glory cannot give inner peace. They also cannot assure eternal life because every man, whether rich or poor, will inevitably die.
“For many a gem of purest ray serene
The dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear:
For many a flower is born to blush unseen
And waste its sweetness on the desert air.”
The dark caves of the ocean might seem dangerous but inside they hold precious pearls formed by strong currents and waves. The desert too might seem like a barren place, but it may nurture a delicate and beautiful flower. Unfortunately, the pearl and the flower will never be discovered and appreciated for their beauty, because the world looks at things from the outside. The poet ponders about the goodness that goes to waste. It is the same for the people of the village. While the others look down on them, the poet loves and admires them, for to him they are genuine and pure in heart.
The Epitaph
“Here rest 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,
Heaven did a recompense as largely send:
He gave to Misery all he had, a tear;
He gain’d from heaven ‘twas all he wished) 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.”
The poet thinks about his own death and imagines his epitaph. The epitaph tells of a young man who was neither famous nor wealthy, but whose life was full of sorrow. Yet he did not allow sadness to control his life. He was kind benevolent and sincere. He made the best of the circumstances of his life. All he possessed on earth were difficulties and grief, and even these were taken away from him. But when he died, heaven blessed him with peace. Like any other man, he had his weaknesses and strengths. The epitaph says that there is no more the need to describe them, because now he is resting in the heart of God.

Published: October 25, 2010   
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  1. Answer   Question  :    assess grey comments on the worth and promoise of the peasants View All
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