The bell at dusk announces that the day is about to disappear,
Cattle are leisurely and carefree, like a breeze blowing through the low-lying grassland.
The farmer dragged his sleepy and tired body and hurried.
The wilderness was silent, and only the poet stood in the darkness.
Night falls quietly, and the vast expanse gradually fades away.
Suddenly, everything became quiet and lifeless.
I heard the cowbell urging my companions in the distance to sleep.
There is also a beetle buzzing around.
On top of the ivy-covered bell tower,
The night owl screamed a few times,
It seems to be complaining to the moon that a stranger has invaded the territory.
Disturbed the mystery of this lonely ancient land.
Under the big elm and cypress trees in front of the tower,
Summon up so many mounds that are susceptible to waves,
In a small cave under the mound,
Sleeping quietly is the common ancestor of the village people.
The fragrant morning breeze gently calls,
Xiaoyan prone on the beam murmured:
The hunter's horn echoed and the rooster gave a long cry.
But no one can wake those ancestors up from bed.
The fire is burning, and they can't face it anymore.
Housewives are so busy that no one will prepare dinner for them anymore.
Children and grandchildren will never jump into their arms again,
They don't kiss each other, they don't crawl on their knees.
Think back, think back-
They waved a silver sickle and took back the golden grain.
Pushing the plow, they turned up the hard land,
They raised their axes to cut down trees,
They are driving cattle, not to mention how happy they are.
Don't laugh at their mediocre and obscure work,
Don't underestimate their short and simple experience,
Their lives are not earth-shattering,
But ordinary life is still meaningful.
You can show off your great strength, your noble family,
Your wealth is increasing, your beauty is declining,
But you know, they are all waiting for the same destination-
That is to go to this dark cemetery.
Appreciation from Baidu Encyclopedia
This poem was written for eight years, originally in memory of his good friend Richard West when he was studying at Eton College. At least the epitaph at the end of the poem was written for him. However, looking at the whole poem, it is obvious that its content has gone beyond the mourning for a specific figure, but through the description of a cemetery in the countryside, it expresses deep sympathy for the unknown people at the lower level. Praise their simplicity and kindness, but unfortunately they have no chance to display their talents and talents. At the same time, it also shows contempt and ridicule for the world's dignitaries and vanity, and condemns the extravagant life of big people. This poem fully embodies Gray's democratic thought. Because of poverty, farmers can't give full play to their talents and become writers like Milton and politicians like Cromwell. But on the other hand, they have no ambition, arrogance, arrogance, extravagance and flattery. Although they are "barren" and have no knowledge, they have "virtue" and "goodness" They are nature itself. This kind of thought and sentimental emotion runs through the whole poem, making Elegy in the Cemetery a model of sentimental poetry in the late18th century.
The reason why elegies in cemeteries are favored by critics in past dynasties. Because "first, it embodies a certain social emotion in a period; Secondly, it has a relatively complete form of expressing this emotion, which solves the problem of how to innovate the old tradition to a certain extent and has high artistic achievements. " (Yang)
From the poem Elegy in the Cemetery, we can see the transformation of English poets from neoclassicism to romanticism. On the one hand, Gray's poetic language is elaborately crafted and meets the requirements of neoclassicism. On the other hand, his poems show the romantic yearning for nature and the harmonious relationship between people. The combination of the two is used to express deep sadness, which makes the description of eternal truth pursued by classicists become such a beautiful sigh throughout the ages, framed by exquisite poetic forms and more touching.