elegy written in a country churchyard stanza 3 & 4
TRANSCRIPT
Lines 9-12
Save that from yonder ivy-mantled tow'rThe moping owl does to the moon complainOf such, as wand'ring near her secret bow'r,Molest her ancient solitary reign.
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard 2
Here are some more exceptions to the overall peace and quiet: the bent-out-of-shape owl is
hooting.
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard 2
More figurative language here! The speaker uses metaphor to describe
the tower where the owl lives as "ivy-mantled." (A "mantle" is a kind
of cloak or coat, so the speaker is saying that the tower is dressed up
in ivy. Cool!)
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard 2
Metaphor:
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard 2
Have your ever heard of lines like "I have measured out my life with coffee spoons"?
Or the declaration that "all the world's a stage"? Or the rhetorical conundrum of "Who in the rainbow can show the line
where the violet tint ends and the orange tint begins?"
Metaphor:
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard 2
Have you ever really thought about what a metaphor is?
And, more importantly, how metaphors work?
Metaphor:
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard 2
A metaphor is a kind of word magic that—changes black hats into rabbits and scarves
into doves. With a wave of the wand, metaphors compare two different things;
metaphors describe one object as another. It's almost as if the object becomes what it
is being compared to, at least, in a figurative way.
Metaphor: രൂപകംElegy Written in a Country Churchyard 2
"You're a toad!" is a metaphor—although not a very nice one. So is "you're a star!"
and that one's a little kinder. Metaphors are different from similes (ഉപമ) because
metaphors leave out the words "like" or "as." For example, a simile would be, "You're like a toad" or "You're like a star." (Although,
technically speaking, similes are a type of metaphor.)
Because the title of the poem says that it was "written in a country churchyard," we can
guess that the "tower" mentioned here is probably the
church tower.
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard 2
But the speaker doesn't just say that there's an owl hooting—he uses some
more figurative language. He personifies the owl when he says that it's "moping" and "complaining," since those are things a person would
do, not an owl.
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard 2
And what's the mopey owl complaining about? Apparently, she's complaining that there's an
outsider nearby—someone who is wandering near her private digs (a "bower" is a lady's private room)
and bothering her solitude.
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard 2
Who is that outsider? Sounds like the owl is probably complaining
about the presence of the speaker himself! (And we're just assuming
the speaker is a "he.")
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard 2
Lines 13-16
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.
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard 2
This stanza is all one long sentence, and the sentence structure is a bit
wacky, so let's try to sort it out.
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard 2
The subject and the verb of the sentence are way down there in the
last line of the stanza: "The rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep."
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard 2
Hold up—the speaker isn't saying that the ancestors of the town (a
"hamlet" is a tiny town, not an omelet with ham in it!) are impolite.
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard 2
"Rude" is used to describe someone who was from the country. Someone
who wasn't sophisticated, and who was maybe a bit of a bumpkin.
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard 2
So the forefathers being described here are probably just simple
country folks, not discourteous, impolite jerks.
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard 2
So what are these country forefathers of the hamlet doing?
They're sleeping. Sounds peaceful, right?
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard 2
Except, look at the third line of the stanza—they're not sleeping at
home in their beds. They're sleeping in narrow cells, and they're laid in
there forever.
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard 2
Sounds like they're sleeping in only a metaphorical sense. These guys
are dead and lying in their graves in the churchyard!
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard 2
The first two lines of the poem set the scene. These graves are under elm and yew trees, and there are
piles of turf on each one.
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard 2
So we're not just hanging out outside of a church as the sun goes down. We're actually hanging out in
the graveyard. Spooky!
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard 2
man·tle(măn′tl)n.
1. A loose sleeveless coat worn over outer garments; a cloak.2. Something that covers, envelops, or conceals: "On a summer night ... a mantle of dust hangs over the gravel roads" (John Dollard).
ham·let(hăm′lĭt) n.
1. A small village.2. In New York state, an unincorporated community that is within a town and is not a part ofa village.
turf(tɜːf)n, pl turfs or turves (tɜːvz)
1. (Botany) the surface layer of fields and pastures, consisting of earth containing a dense growth of grasses with theirroots; sod2. (Horticulture) a piece cut from this layer, used to form lawns, verges, etc3. (Horse Racing) the turfa. a track, usually of grass or dirt, where horse races are runb. horse racing as a sport or industry
4. slang US the territory or area of activity over which a person or group claims exclusive rights5. an area of knowledge or influence: he's on home turf when it comes to music.6. another term for peat1
7. go with the turf informal to be an unavoidable part of a particular situation or processvb
spook·y
(spoo͞′kē)adj. spook·i·er, spook·i·est Informal
1. Suggestive of ghosts or spirits, especially in being eerie or disturbing: a spooky attic.2. Easily startled; skittish: a spooky horse.
