The Poetical Works Of Thomas Gray Author:Thomas Gray Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: ELEGY. VR1TTF.N Irf A COUNTRY CHUBCH-YARD. The curfew tolls the knell of parting day, The lowing herd winds slowly o'er the lea, The ploughman homeward pl... more »ods his weary iva-,, 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; 8 Save that from yonder ivy-mantled tQw'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'ringheap. Each in his narrow cell for ever laid, The rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep. 16 The breezy call of incense-breathing Morn, The swallow twitl'ring from the siraw-built shed. The cock's shrill clarion or the echoing horn, Ko more shall rouse them from their lowly bed. -,...-squilla di lonuno Che pai-a'I giorno pianger, die si muore. Daiitt, Pur- (... I. J. For them no more the .blazing hearth shall burn, Or busy housewife ply her ev'ning care. No children run to lisp their sire's return, Or climb his knees the envy'd kiss to bhare. -. - 24 Oft did the harvest to their sickle yieW, Their furrow oft' the stubborn glebe has broke; . ".. How jocund did they drive their team afield ! How bow'd the woods beneath their st urdy stroke! Let not Ambition mock their useful toil, Th;ir homely joys and destiny obscure: Nor Grandeur hear wi;h a disdainful smile . - The short and simple annals of the poor. J| The boast of heraldry, the pomp of poy'iy And all that beauty, all that wealth, e'er gave, , Await alike th' inevitable hour: The paths of glor.y le.id but to the grave. Nor you, ye Proud!...« less