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“Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” by Thomas Gray Poem Summary

“Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” is a poem written by Thomas Gray, an English poet, in 1750. The poem reflects on the lives and deaths of ordinary people buried in a rural churchyard.

Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard Poem Summary-The poem opens with a lovely country churchyard landscape at dusk. Grey thinks about the plain graves and makes up stories about the lives of the lowly folks interred there.

Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard Poem Summary-He notes that these people had peaceful, unseen lives and were frequently unknown to the outside world. He wonders if some of them might have had amazing abilities or potential that were overlooked and unrealized.

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Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard Poem Summary-Grey continues by describing the churchyard’s natural charm, including its rustic setting and nighttime animal sounds. He emphasises the fleeting aspect of human life by equating the waning of the day with the passing of time.

Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard Poem Summary-The poem makes the argument that since everyone eventually dies, regardless of social standing or achievements, death is a great equaliser.

Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard Poem Summary-The poet then muses on the hopes and dreams that many of the dead people may have harboured in their youth but never came true. Grey regrets that their abilities and goals were buried beside them, never to be recognised or honoured.

Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard Poem Summary-Grey muses on his own mortality as the poem draws to a close and expresses the desire for a straightforward grave in a similar churchyard where he can lie in eternal peace. He admits that in comparison to the qualities of integrity and moral character, fame and fortune are transient and ultimately unimportant.

Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard Poem Summary-In the final part, Grey draws the conclusion that a person’s character virtues and goodness, rather than their social standing or accomplishments, are what truly define their life’s worth. He asserts that despite having led quiet lives, these lowly people nonetheless have the capacity for greatness and decency.

Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard Poem Summary-The poem “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” is a contemplation on life, death, and the value of individual lives.

Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard Poem Summary-It serves as a gentle reminder to the reader of the commonality of human experience and the significance of appreciating the value in every individual, regardless of their socioeconomic standing or place in society.

Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard Poem

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.

Conclusion

“Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” by Thomas Gray is a poignant reflection on the lives and deaths of ordinary individuals buried in a rural churchyard.

Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard Poem Summary-The poem emphasizes the transient nature of human life and the equalizing power of death, regardless of social status or achievements.

Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard Poem Summary-Gray contemplates the unfulfilled potential and unrecognized talents of these individuals, suggesting that their dreams and aspirations were buried with them.

Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard Poem Summary-He underscores the importance of moral character and integrity over wealth and fame, emphasizing that the true value of a person’s life lies in their virtues.

Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard Poem Summary-The poem serves as a reminder to appreciate the inherent worth and dignity of every individual, regardless of their social standing or worldly success. It encourages us to reflect on the brevity of life and the significance of our actions and character.

Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard Poem Summary-Overall, “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” invites readers to contemplate the universal themes of mortality, the fleeting nature of fame and fortune, and the enduring value of a virtuous life.

FAQ.

Q. Who wrote “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard”?

Ans. “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” was written by Thomas Gray, an English poet. He composed the poem in 1750.

Q. What is the theme of the poem?

Ans. The main themes of the poem include the transient nature of human life, the equalizing power of death, the unfulfilled potential of individuals, the importance of moral character, and the value of recognizing the worth in every person.

Q. What is the message of the poem?

Ans. The poem encourages readers to reflect on the brevity of life and the importance of moral character. It emphasizes that true greatness lies in virtues and integrity rather than social status or achievements.