The poem 'Elegy Written In A Country Churchyard" by Thomas Gray glorifies and sympathizes with the common village people who are not are not famous because of the simple pastoral lives they lead. It is said that this poem was written in the memory of the poet's dear friend West who was also a simpleton.
The poem starts with the poet setting the theme of the poem. He describes the time in the evening when the framers wrap up their work to go home and everything is still except for the droning of the beetles, the lowing of the herds and the complaining of the owls that have been disturbed by the bright moon beams. The poet mentions our 'rude forefathers' who have died and are now buried under the land they once ploughed. The poet says that these dead farmers will never wake up from the silence of death.
Poets Kalymnos
English: Portrait of the poet Thomas Gray by paint...
English: Frontispiece for the illustrated 1753 edi...They will never wake up to an incense kindled morning, never have their children greet them when they return home from work as they have left all these things when they died.
The poet pleads with the readers to not mock these simple people who are not dead. He has personified virtues of the rich, like grandeur, flattery, ambition, memory and said that even though these people did not possess these virtues of the rich, they still share the same final resting place at the time of death. He says that no amount of richness, decorated graves and sculptures can bring them back from the dead.
The poet goes on to say that even in these village folks, there must have been men who possessed the qualities of being powerful and rich. The only things that stopped these people from being wealthy were the lack of knowledge and...