Thomas Gray was a noted poet of the 18th century. He is remembered for his poem “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard”. The poem is appreciated for its technical perfection and universal sentiments expressed in admirable and quotable verses. In the poem, the poet records his inspiration on seeing the graves of unknown villagers in a churchyard.

Once in an evening, the poet went to a churchyard. There was an atmosphere of loneliness and gloom all around. He saw before him many graves covered with grass. The graves were those of some unknown villagers lying buried there. Seeing this the poet mourned the death of these unknown villagers. He meditates on the simple but noble life of the rural people.

The poet says that those who were buried there lead a simple life. They worked hard in the field and earned their livelihood. They were united in their efforts. They found pleasure in what they did. They had physical strength and peace of mind. The poet expresses the view that though there had not been built great memorials or tombs for them their life should not be undervalued. They should not be scorned for their simple and uneventful life. They should not be ridiculed by the privileged and the aristocratic people because the pride of inheritance, the influence of power, physical beauty, or everything that wealth can give is not everlasting.

In the course of reflecting on the fate of the villagers, the poet says that in the neglected churchyard there might be persons with poetic genius. There might be persons with the ability to rule even an empire. There might be persons who could have been great musicians. But they did not have a chance to show their hidden power. The poet compares them to gems that lie at the bottom of the ocean but they remain unknown to men. Similarly, there may be many beautiful flowers in the desert and they may not come under the notice of the human being. There might be the case with the villagers also. There may be among them someone as brave as Hampden who revolted against the injustice of the king. There may be among them with high poetic power like John Milton. There may be among them such able military leaders like Cromwell. But no one knows them.

It is true that the villagers had no opportunity to show how great they could be. But they had been able to keep them away from many ignorable things. They did not commit any crimes like kings and emperors. They did not perpetrate genocide or bloodshed to continue their misrule. They have been fortunate enough not to do anything against their conscience. They did nothing to hide the truth or do any shameful act that the privileged and wealthy class are accustomed to doing. Moreover, they did not have to live a life of anxiety-like town-dwellers who are always after riches and cheap pleasure.

In this way, with the help of striking but memorable similes and metaphors the poet tries to glorify the simple life of the villagers and condemn the life of the privileged class who live in the urban area.