1 . "Full many a gem of purest ray serene,
The dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear:
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air".
- These are often quoted lines of Gray's Elegy written in a country churchyard. In these lines, the poet has expressed his lamentation for the obscure destiny of the poor village folks who died unknown and could not get favorable opportunities to develop their talents.
The poet observes that among the villagers who lie buried in the Churchyard there are some people who had divine inspiration. But poverty was a great obstacle the growth of their talents. As a result, they could not get acquire knowledge and fame. Here, by means of two examples, the poet has emphasized upon the fact that if the simple rural villagers died unknown, it does not mean that they had nothing good in them. In fact they could not get adequate opportunities to flourish their talents. The poet first compares them to the brightness of the gems that the darkest and deepest caves of the ocean contain. Just as the starling beauty and brightest gems remain hidden from the eye of man on account of the depth of sea, in the same way the genius and talents of the dead farmers were not admired and appreciated. Just as the flowers that blossom in the lonely place or in a desert are not admired by anybody because of their extreme poverty. Thus, the good talents which the poor rustics had, could not come to life and were buried with them.
These lines clearly reveal Gray's sympathy for the rural underdogs and are marked by melancholy which is a romantic characteristic. It also gives a poignant expression to the tragic feeling of terrible waste in the life of man.
2. 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.
-These line s are extracted from Thomas Gray's poem "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard". Here the poet speaks about the hidden potentialities of the dead villagers, which could not be realized owing to extreme poverty.
The dead forefathers of the villagers had immense talent. Unfortunately, their potentialities were not realized because of extreme poverty. Poverty crushed their desire for knowledge and stifled their enthusiasm. Among the villagers there were some persons who were fearless and brave like John Hampden. Hampden refused to pay the ship money to Charles I, because the king imposed the tax without consulting the Parliament. Thus, he resisted the tyranny of the king. In the same way, some villagers resisted tyrannical local landlord who exploited his tenants. Again, among the villagers there were some people who the genius equal to that of Milton. But they could not give expression of that poetic fervor because of the want of suitable opportunity. Moreover, some villagers could have been as great a statesmen as Oliver Cromwell. circumstances led Cromwell to kill his own countrymen engaged in a civil war, while these villagers, unable to be leaders, were free of such type of guilt. Thus, in these lines the poet laments the dead villagers failure to be great owing to their poverty. At the same time, he finds consolation by thinking that they could retain their innocence
3. Perhaps in this neglected spot is laid
Some heart once pregnant with celestial fire;
Hands, that the rod of empire might have swayed,
Or waked to ecstasy the living lyre.
- These lines are extracted from Thomas Gray's poem "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard". The poet sees the simple, uncared and obscure graves of the rude forefathers of the hamlet', and reflects on their humble lot.
The poet says that if the forefathers of the village could not achieve greatness in their lives and died unknown, it does not mean that they were inferior to the rich people in any aspect or they did not mean that they were inferior to the rich people in any aspect or they did not poses any virtue. Rather he says that neglected part of the Churchyard, might have had a divine inspiration ('celestial fire') and have become great poets. They might have earned great fame as the spiritual leaders of the world. Some of them might have held the scepter the sign of royal power - in their hands and ruled an empire whereas some might have earned fame as musicians and produced extremely melodious music by playing upon the lyre. But the obscurity of their fate lies in the fact that poverty came as an insurmountable obstacle in their way and they could not develop their talents which were also buried with them.
These lines clearly express that poverty and obscure fate checked the growth of their talents. It also shows the poet's sympathy for the downtrodden section of the society.
4. The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power,
And all that beauty, all that wealth ever gave,
Awaits alike the inevitable hour.
The paths of glory lead but to the grave.
- These line s are extracted from Thomas Gray's poem "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard". In these lines, the poet underlines the inevitability of death, the ultimate truth of life .
The poet says that nobody can escape death, no matter whether he is poor or rich or pompous. As death lays its icy hand on all, it is meaningless for a man to pride himself on his noble birth, to make a splendid display of power and authority in society, or to boast of the privileges and advantages that one enjoys because of his beauty or wealth. He calls upon the proud, wealthy and ostentations not to look down upon the poor, the deprived and the unfortunate, because their wealth, power and beauty and other privileges are all subject to decay and death. Death is a mighty leveler, for however glorious the achievements, the final end of human life is death.
These lines clearly reveal thee omnipotence of death and the meaningless of everything man is proud of. Death destroys all distinctions between the rich and the poor and reduces them all to dust. The passage lends to the poem the true elegiac emotion which wells out from the epigram -"The paths of glory lead but to the grave". Obviously, the poet's tone is moralizing or didactic.
5. Far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife,
Their sober wishes never learned to stray;
Along the cool sequestered vale of life
They kept the noiseless tenor of their way.
- These line s are taken from Thomas Gray's poem "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard". The poet makes these observation while mediating on the way of life of the rude forefathers of the hamlet laying buried in the village churchyard.
Here, the poet reflects that the villagers lived happily free from the noise, the fever and the fret of the city life. In other words, they lived quite way from the crowd of city people who are mad to wealth and fame. They were free from the mean struggle and the cut-throat competition("ignoble strife") which characterize the city life. Their wishes were gentle (''sober') and never deviated from the noble and virtuous principles of life. They pursed happily their everyday work in a quiet and retired country atmosphere.
These lies are remarkable for the universal picture of the nature of village life and villagers. The quiet, secluded character of countryside is finely and poetically brought out by the image of the 'cool sequestered vale' of life.
6. Can storied urn or animated bust
Back to its mansion call the fleeting breath?
Can Honor's voice provoke the silent dust,
Or Flattery soothe the dull cold ear of Death?
These line s are extracted from Thomas Gray's poem "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard". Here, the poet expresses the indubitable truth that nothing can restore the dead back to life.
After appealing to the rich people that they should not look down upon the poor if they (the poor) have not been provided with any memorial, the poet puts a simple question. He asks the rich if it is possible for a rich man to call a departing soul or a dead man back to life by keeping his ashes in an urn on which the story of his life is engraved or by making life-like statues in the church. Song may be sung in honor of the dead but to no purpose. not even flattery can make death merciful. In short, the poet seeks to suggest that once a man is dead, he cannot bee brought back to life either by monuments, songs or by flattery. Therefore, if the poor forefathers of the village have not been provided with any tombstone or monument, they should have not been looked down upon. The rich who have all these things, also die and after death they and the poor are equal.
These lines clearly express a universal truth, namely, nothing can restore the dead, however powerful, beautiful or wealthy to life. The poet makes his idea rhetorically convincing by the use of figures of speech such as - Interrogation, Circumlocution and Personification.
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