Laurel · Mary E. Burt · Poems Every Child Should Know

Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard

Mary E. Burt (1850–1918) · 1904

iambic pentameter · ABAB · 116 lines · from Poems Every Child Should Know

The curfew tolls the knell of parting day,The lowing herd winds slowly o’er the lea,The plowman homeward plods his weary way,And leaves the world to darkness and to me.

Now fades the glimmering 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’rThe moping owl does to the moon complainOf such as, wandering 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 forever 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,Await alike th’ inevitable hour.The paths of glory lead but to the grave.

Forgive, ye Proud, th’ involuntary faultIf Memory to these no trophies raise,Where thro’ the long-drawn aisle and fretted vaultThe pealing anthem swells the note of praise.

Can storied urn or animated bustBack 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 laidSome heart once pregnant with celestial fire,Hands that the rod of empire might have sway’d,Or waked to ecstasy the living lyre.

But Knowledge to their eyes her ample pageRich 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 flower is born to blush unseen,And waste its sweetness on the desert air.

Some village-Hampden, that with dauntless breastThe little tyrant of his fields withstood;Some mute inglorious Milton here may rest,Some Cromwell guiltless of his country’s blood.

Th’ applause of listening senates to command,The threats of pain and ruin to despise,To scatter plenty o’er a smiling land,And read their history in a nation’s eyes,

Their lot forbad: nor circumscribed aloneTheir growing virtues, but their crimes confinedForbad 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 PrideWith 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 lifeThey kept the noiseless tenour of their way.

Yet e’en those bones from insult to protectSome frail memorial still erected nigh,With uncouth rhimes and shapeless sculpture deck’d,Implores the passing tribute of a sigh.

Their name, their years, spelt by th’ unlettered Muse,The place of fame and elegy supply.And many a holy text around she strewsThat teach the rustic moralist to die.

For who to dumb forgetfulness a prey,This pleasing anxious being e’er resigned,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;E’en from the tomb the voice of Nature cries,E’en 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 dawnBrushing with hasty steps the dews away,To meet the sun upon the upland lawn.

“There at the foot of yonder nodding beechThat wreathes its old fantastic roots so high,His listless length at noon-tide would he stretch,And pore upon the brook that babbles by.

“Hard by yon wood, now smiling as in scorn,Muttering his wayward fancies he would rove;Now drooping, woeful wan, like one forlorn,Or crazed with care, or crossed in hopeless love.

“One morn I miss’d him on the custom’d hill,Along the heath, and near his favourite 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 arraySlow thro’ the church-way path we saw him borne.Approach and read (for thou canst read) the lay,Graved on the stone beneath yon agèd thorn.”

Words in this poem 54

curfew n.: The ringing of an evening bell, originally a signal to the inhabitants to cover fires, extinguish lights, and retire to rest, -- instituted by William the Conqueror; also, the bell itself. [OE. courfew, curfu, fr. OF. cuevrefu, covrefeu, F. couvre-feu; covrir to cover + feu fire, fr. L. focus fireplace, hearth. See Cover, and Focus.]
lowing n.: The calling sound made by cows and other bovine animals.
homeward a.: Being in the direction of home; as, the homeward way.
stillness n.: The quality or state of being still; quietness; silence; calmness; inactivity.
lull v. t.: To cause to rest by soothing influences; to compose; to calm; to soothe; to quiet. [Akin to OD. lullen to sing to sleep, G. lullen, Dan. lulle, Sw. lulla; all of imitative origin. Cf. Loll, Lollard.]
yonder adv.: At a distance, but within view. [OE. yonder, ýonder; cf. OD. ginder, Goth. jaindr there. Yond, adv.]
molest v. t.: To trouble; to disturb; to render uneasy; to interfere with; to vex. [F. molester, L. molestare, fr. molestus troublesome, fr. moles a heavy mass, load, burden. See 3d Mole.]
heaves n.: A disease of horses, characterized by difficult breathing, with heaving of the flank, wheezing, flatulency, and a peculiar cough; broken wind.
mould n.: Crumbling, soft, friable earth; esp., earth containing the remains or constituents of organic matter, and suited to the growth of plants; soil. [OE. molde, AS. molde; akin to D. mul, G. mull, mulm, OHG. molt, molta, Icel. mold, Dan. muld, Sw. mull, Goth. mulda, and E. meal flour. See Meal, and cf. Mole a]
breezy a.: Characterized by, or having, breezes; airy.
morn n.: The first part of the day; the morning; -- used chiefly in poetry. [OE. morwen, morgen, AS. morgen; akin to D. morgen, OS. morgan, G. morgen, Icel. morginn, morgunn, Sw. morgon, Dan. morgen, Goth. maúrgins. Cf. Morrow, Morning.]
clarion n.: A kind of trumpet, whose note is clear and shrill. [OE. clarioun, OF. clarion, F. clairon, LL. clario, claro; so called from its clear tone, fr. L. clarus clear. See Clear.]
shall v. i.: To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
lisp v. i.: To pronounce the sibilant letter s imperfectly; to give s and z the sound of th; -- a defect common among children. [OE. lispen, lipsen, AS. wlisp stammering, lisping; akin to D. & OHG. lispen to lisp, G. lispeln, Sw. läspa, Dan. lespe.]
sire n.: A lord, master, or other person in authority. See Sir. [F. sire, originally, an older person. See Sir.]
broke v. i.: To transact business for another. Brome. [See Broker, and cf. Brook.]
jocund: Merry; cheerful; gay; airy; lively; sportive. [L. jocundus, jucundus, orig., helpful, fr. juvare to help. See Aid.]
afield adv.: To, in, or on the field. [Pref. a- + field.]
homely a.: Belonging to, or having the characteristics of, home; domestic; familiar; intimate. [From Home, n.]
annals n.: A relation of events in chronological order, each event being recorded under the year in which it happened. [L. annalis (sc. liber), and more frequently in the pl. annales (sc. libri), chronicles, fr. annus year. Cf. Annual.]
heraldry n.: The art or office of a herald; the art, practice, or science of recording genealogies, and blazoning arms or ensigns armorial; also, of marshaling cavalcades, processions, and public ceremonies.
wealth n.: Weal; welfare; prosperity; good. [OE. welthe, from wele; cf. D. weelde luxury. See Weal prosperity.]
await v. t.: To watch for; to look out for. [OF. awaitier, agaitier; (L. ad) + waitier, gaitier to watch, F. guetter. See Wait.]
anthem v. t.: To celebrate with anthems.
storied a.: Told in a story. [From Story.]
mansion n.: A dwelling place, -- whether a part or whole of a house or other shelter. [OF. mansion, F. maison, fr. L. mansio a staying, remaining, a dwelling, habitation, fr. manere, mansum, to stay, dwell; akin to Gr. Manse, Manor, Menagerie, Men]
honour n.: Esteem due or paid to worth; high estimation; respect; consideration; reverence; veneration; manifestation of respect or reverence. [OE. honor, honour, onour, onur, OF. honor, onor, honur, onur, honour, onour, F. honneur, fr. L. honor, honos.]
soothe v. t.: To assent to as true. Testament of Love. [Originally, to assent to as true; OE. so to verify, AS. ges to prove the truth of, to bear witness. See Sooth, a.]
unroll v. t.: To open, as what is rolled or convolved; as, to unroll cloth; to unroll a banner. [1st pref. un- + roll.]
penury n.: Absence of resources; want; privation; indigence; extreme poverty; destitution. [L. penuria; cf. Gr. pénurie.]
genial a.: Contributing to, or concerned in, propagation or production; generative; procreative; productive. [L. genialis: cf. OF. genial. See Genius.]
unseen a.: Not seen or discovered.
dauntless a.: Incapable of being daunted; undaunted; bold; fearless; intrepid.
inglorious a.: Not glorious; not bringing honor or glory; not accompanied with fame, honor, or celebrity; obscure; humble; as, an inglorious life of ease. [L. inglorious; pref. in- not + gloria glory, fame: cf. F. inglorieux. See Glory.]
guiltless a.: Free from guilt; innocent.
despise v. t.: To look down upon with disfavor or contempt; to contemn; to scorn; to disdain; to have a low opinion or contemptuous dislike of. [OF. despis-, in some forms of despire to despise, fr. L. despicere, despectum, to look down upon, despise; de- + spicere, specere, to look. See Spy, and cf. Des]
wade n.: Woad. Mortimer.
ingenuous a.: Of honorable extraction; freeborn; noble; as, ingenuous blood of birth. [L. ingenuus inborn, innate, freeborn, noble, frank; pref. in- in + the root of gignere to beget. See Genius, and cf. Ingenious.]
madding a.: Affected with madness; raging; furious.
strife n.: The act of striving; earnest endeavor. [OF. estrif. See Strive.]
vale n.: A tract of low ground, or of land between hills; a valley. [OE. val, F. val, L. vallis; perhaps akin to Gr. Avalanche, Vail to lower, Valley.]
tenour n.: A state of holding on in a continuous course; manner of continuity; constant mode; general tendency; course; career. [L., from tenere to hold; hence, properly, a holding on in a continued course: cf. F. teneur. See Tenable, and cf. Tenor a kind of voice.]
elegy n.: A mournful or plaintive poem; a funereal song; a poem of lamentation.
moralist n.: One who moralizes; one who teaches or animadverts upon the duties of life; a writer of essays intended to correct vice and inculcate moral duties. [Cf. F. moraliste.]
resigned a.: Submissive; yielding; not disposed to resist or murmur.
wonted a.: Accustomed; customary; usual.
mindful a.: Bearing in mind; regardful; attentive; heedful; observant.
haply adv.: By hap, chance, luck, or accident; perhaps; it may be.
hoary a.: White or whitish."The hoary willows."
brushing a.: Constructed or used to brush with; as a brushing machine.
listless a.: Having no desire or inclination; indifferent; heedless; spiritless. [OE. listles, lustles. See Lust.]
wayward a.: Taking one's own way; disobedient; froward; perverse; willful. [OE. weiward, for aweiward, i. e., turned away. See Away, and -ward.]
forlorn a.: Deserted abandoned; lost. [OE., p.p. of forlesen to lose utterly, AS. forleósan (p.p. forloren); pref. for- + leósan (in comp.) to lose; cf. D. verliezen to lose, G. verlieren, Sw. förlor]
rill n.: A very small brook; a streamlet. [Cf. LG. rille a small channel or brook, a furrow, a chamfer, OE. rigol a small brook, F. rigole a trench or furrow for water, W. rhill a row, rhigol a little di]

Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.

About this text

Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard is in the public domain. This text is taken from Poems Every Child Should Know The What-Every-Child-Should-Know-Library, Project Gutenberg ebook #16436; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.

Cite as: Mary E. Burt, Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard, in Poems Every Child Should Know (1904), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #16436, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/poems-every-child/elegy-written-in-a-country-churchyard.html, id L25326.

Form and metre

Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard is 116 lines in 29 stanzas of 4 lines each. Every stanza rhymes ABAB. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 91%).

See other poems in iambic pentameter.

Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.

Rhyme words, stanza by stanza

The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.

1 ABAB day^A · lea^B · way^A · me^B
2 ABAB sight^A · holds^B · flight^A · folds^B
3 ABAB tow'r^A · complain^B · bow'r^A · reign^B
4 ABAB shade^A · heap^B · laid^A · sleep^B
5 ABAB morn^A · shed^B · horn^A · bed^B
6 ABAB burn^A · care^B · return^A · share^B
7 ABAB yield^A · broke^B · afield^A · stroke^B
8 ABAB toil^A · obscure^B · smile^A · poor^B
9 ABAB pow'r^A · gave^B · hour^A · grave^B
10 ABAB fault^A · raise^B · vault^A · praise^B
11 ABAB bust^A · breath^B · dust^A · death^B
12 ABAB laid^A · fire^B · sway'd^A · lyre^B
13 ABAB page^A · unroll^B · rage^A · soul^B
14 ABAB serene^A · bear^B · unseen^A · air^B
15 ABAB breast^A · withstood^B · rest^A · blood^B
16 ABAB command^A · despise^B · land^A · eyes^B
17 ABAB alone^A · confined^B · throne^A · mankind^B
18 ABAB hide^A · shame^B · pride^A · flame^B
19 ABAB strife^A · stray^B · life^A · way^B
20 ABAB protect^A · nigh^B · deck'd^A · sigh^B
21 ABAB muse^A · supply^B · strews^A · die^B
22 ABAB prey^A · resigned^B · day^A · behind^B
23 ABAB relies^A · requires^B · cries^A · fires^B
24 ABAB dead^A · relate^B · led^A · fate^B
25 ABAB say^A · dawn^B · away^A · lawn^B
26 ABAB beech^A · high^B · stretch^A · by^B
27 ABAB scorn^A · rove^B · forlorn^A · love^B
28 ABAB hill^A · tree^B · rill^A · he^B
29 ABAB array^A · borne^B · lay^A · thorn^B

Scansion, line by line

Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic pentameter. How this is done.

Line	Syl.	Stress
The curfew tolls the knell of parting day,	10	·/˘····/˘·
The lowing herd winds slowly o’er the lea,	10	·/˘··/˘···
The plowman homeward plods his weary way,	10	·/˘/˘··/˘·
And leaves the world to darkness and to me.	10	·····/˘···
Now fades the glimmering landscape on the sight,	10	···/˘/····
And all the air a solemn stillness holds,	10	·····/˘/˘·
Save where the beetle wheels his droning flight,	10	···/˘··/˘·
And drowsy tinklings lull the distant folds.	10	·/˘/˘··/˘·
Save that from yonder ivy-mantled tow’r	10	···/˘/˘/˘·
The moping owl does to the moon complain	10	·/˘·····˘/
Of such as, wandering near her secret bow’r,	10	···/˘··/˘·
Molest her ancient solitary reign.	10	˘/·/˘/˘·˘·
Beneath those rugged elms, that yew-tree’s shade,	10	···/˘·····
Where heaves the turf in many a mould’ring heap,	10	·····/····
Each in his narrow cell forever laid,	10	···/˘·˘/˘·
The rude Forefathers of the hamlet sleep.	10	··/·˘··/˘·
The breezy call of incense-breathing morn,	10	·/˘··/·/˘·
The swallow twitt’ring from the straw-built shed,	10	·/˘·······
The cock’s shrill clarion, or the echoing horn,	10	···/˘··/˘·
No more shall rouse them from their lowly bed.	10	·······/˘·
For them no more the blazing hearth shall burn,	10	·····/˘···
Or busy housewife ply her evening care:	10	·/˘/···/˘·
No children run to lisp their sire’s return,	10	·/˘·····˘/
Or climb his knees the envied kiss to share.	10	·····/˘···
Oft did the harvest to their sickle yield,	10	···/˘··/˘·
Their furrow oft the stubborn glebe has broke;	10	·/˘··/˘···
How jocund did they drive their team afield!	10	·/˘·····˘/
How bow’d the woods beneath their sturdy stroke!	10	·······/˘·
Let not Ambition mock their useful toil,	10	··˘/˘··/˘·
Their homely joys, and destiny obscure;	10	·/˘··/˘˘˘/
Nor Grandeur hear with a disdainful smile,	10	·˘/···˘/˘·
The short and simple annals of the Poor.	10	···/˘/˘···
The boast of heraldry, the pomp of pow’r,	10	···/˘˘····
And all that beauty, all that wealth e’er gave,	10	···/˘·····
Await alike th’ inevitable hour.	11	˘/˘/˘/˘˘˘/˘
The paths of glory lead but to the grave.	10	···/˘·····
Forgive, ye Proud, th’ involuntary fault	10	˘/··˘/˘·˘·
If Memory to these no trophies raise,	10	·/˘˘···/˘·
Where thro’ the long-drawn aisle and fretted vault	10	·······/˘·
The pealing anthem swells the note of praise.	10	·/˘/˘·····
Can storied urn or animated bust	10	·/˘··/˘·˘·
Back to its mansion call the fleeting breath?	10	···/˘··/˘·
Can Honour’s voice provoke the silent dust,	10	·/˘·˘/·/˘·
Or Flatt’ry soothe the dull cold ear of Death?	10	··········
Perhaps in this neglected spot is laid	10	˘/··˘/˘···
Some heart once pregnant with celestial fire,	11	···/˘·˘/˘/˘
Hands that the rod of empire might have sway’d,	10	·····/˘···
Or waked to ecstasy the living lyre.	10	···/˘˘·/˘·
But Knowledge to their eyes her ample page	10	·/˘····/˘·
Rich with the spoils of time did ne’er unroll;	10	········˘/
Chill Penury repress’d their noble rage,	10	·/˘˘˘/·/˘·
And froze the genial current of the soul.	10	···/˘/˘···
Full many a gem of purest ray serene,	10	·/···/˘·˘/
The dark unfathom’d caves of ocean bear:	10	·······/˘·
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,	10	·/·/····˘/
And waste its sweetness on the desert air.	10	···/˘··/˘·
Some village-Hampden, that with dauntless breast	10	·/˘····/˘·
The little tyrant of his fields withstood;	10	·/˘/˘···˘/
Some mute inglorious Milton here may rest,	10	··˘/˘/˘···
Some Cromwell guiltless of his country’s blood.	10	·/˘/˘··/˘·
Th’ applause of listening senates to command,	10	˘/·/˘/˘·˘/
The threats of pain and ruin to despise,	10	·····/˘·˘/
To scatter plenty o’er a smiling land,	10	·/˘/˘··/˘·
And read their history in a nation’s eyes,	10	···/˘··/˘·
Their lot forbad: nor circumscribed alone	10	··˘/··˘/˘/
Their growing virtues, but their crimes confined	10	·/˘/˘···˘/
Forbad to wade through slaughter to a throne,	10	˘/···/˘···
And shut the gates of mercy on mankind,	10	·····/˘·//
The struggling pangs of conscious truth to hide,	10	·/˘··/˘···
To quench the blushes of ingenuous shame,	10	···/˘·˘/˘·
Or heap the shrine of Luxury and Pride	10	·····/˘˘··
With incense, kindled at the Muse’s flame.	10	·/·/˘··/˘·
Far from the madding crowd’s ignoble strife,	10	···/˘·˘/˘·
Their sober wishes never learn’d to stray;	10	·/˘/˘/˘···
Along the cool sequester’d vale of life	10	˘/··˘/˘···
They kept the noiseless tenour of their way.	10	···/˘/˘···
Yet e’en those bones from insult to protect	10	·····/··˘/
Some frail memorial still erected nigh,	10	··˘/˘·˘/˘·
With uncouth rhimes and shapeless sculpture deck’d,	10	·//··/˘/˘·
Implores the passing tribute of a sigh.	10	˘/·/˘/˘···
Their name, their years, spelt by th’ unlettered Muse,	10	··········
The place of fame and elegy supply.	10	·····/˘˘˘/
And many a holy text around she strews	10	·/·/˘·····
That teach the rustic moralist to die.	10	···/˘/˘˘··
For who to dumb forgetfulness a prey,	10	····˘/˘˘··
This pleasing anxious being e’er resigned,	10	·/˘/˘/˘·˘/
Left the warm precincts of the cheerful day,	10	···/···/˘·
Nor cast one longing, ling’ring look behind?	10	···/˘·····
On some fond breast the parting soul relies,	10	·····/˘·˘/
Some pious drops the closing eye requires;	11	·/˘··/˘·˘/˘
E’en from the tomb the voice of Nature cries,	10	·······/˘·
E’en in our ashes live their wonted fires.	11	··//˘··/˘/˘
For thee, who, mindful of th’ unhonour’d dead,	10	···/˘·····
Dost in these lines their artless tale relate;	10	·····/˘·˘/
If chance, by lonely Contemplation led,	10	···/˘·˘/˘·
Some kindred spirit shall inquire thy fate,	10	·/˘/˘·˘/··
Haply some hoary-headed swain may say,	10	/˘·/˘/˘···
“Oft have we seen him at the peep of dawn	10	··········
Brushing with hasty steps the dews away,	10	/˘·/˘···˘/
To meet the sun upon the upland lawn.	10	·······/˘·
“There at the foot of yonder nodding beech	10	·····/˘/˘·
That wreathes its old fantastic roots so high,	10	····˘/˘···
His listless length at noon-tide would he stretch,	10	·/˘·······
And pore upon the brook that babbles by.	10	·······/˘·
“Hard by yon wood, now smiling as in scorn,	10	·····/˘···
Muttering his wayward fancies he would rove;	10	/˘·/˘/˘···
Now drooping, woeful wan, like one forlorn,	10	·/˘/˘···˘/
Or crazed with care, or crossed in hopeless love.	10	·······/˘·
“One morn I miss’d him on the custom’d hill,	10	··········
Along the heath, and near his favourite tree;	11	˘/·········
Another came; nor yet beside the rill,	10	˘/˘···˘/··
Nor up the lawn, nor at the wood was he.	10	··········
“The next with dirges due in sad array	10	···/˘···˘/
Slow thro’ the church-way path we saw him borne.	10	··········
Approach and read (for thou canst read) the lay,	10	˘/········
Graved on the stone beneath yon agèd thorn.”	10	·˘········

The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.

More by Mary E. Burt

Poems Every Child Should Know