Thomas gray ode on a distant prospect of eton college. The Poems of Thomas Gray, Design 17, "Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College." 2022-12-17
Thomas gray ode on a distant prospect of eton college Rating:
7,5/10
1408
reviews
Thomas Gray's "Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College" is a beautifully written poem that reflects on the passing of time and the impermanence of human life. The poem is set in the picturesque town of Eton, which is home to the famous Eton College. The speaker of the poem looks out at the distant prospect of the college and reflects on its history and the many students who have passed through its doors over the years.
One of the most striking features of this poem is its sense of nostalgia and longing. The speaker looks back on the past with a sense of wistfulness and longing, recalling the days when Eton was a bustling hub of intellectual activity and youthful energy. Despite the fact that the speaker is physically separated from the college by a great distance, he is able to conjure up vivid memories of what it was like to be a student there.
Another notable aspect of this poem is its focus on the passage of time. The speaker reflects on the fleeting nature of human life and the way that time seems to slip away from us all too quickly. He speaks of the "waste of youth" and the "frail memorials" that we leave behind us as we pass through life. This theme of impermanence is further underscored by the reference to the "dim-discover'd grave," which suggests that even our final resting places will eventually fade into obscurity.
Despite the somewhat melancholy tone of the poem, it is also infused with a sense of hope and possibility. The speaker speaks of the "golden hours" of youth and the "eternal spring" of the mind, suggesting that there is still much to be gained from life even as we grow older. This hopeful note is reflected in the final lines of the poem, which speak of the enduring nature of the college and its ability to endure through the ages.
In conclusion, "Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College" is a beautifully written and deeply moving poem that reflects on the passage of time, the impermanence of human life, and the enduring power of education. It is a testament to the enduring appeal of Eton College and the many students who have passed through its doors over the years.
The Poems of Thomas Gray, Design 17, "Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College."
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, 2001. I feel the gales, that from ye blow, A momentary bliss bestow, As waving fresh their gladsome wing, My weary soul they seem to soothe, And, redolent of joy and youth, To breathe a second spring. First published, anonymously, as a folio pamphlet by Dodsley, 30 May 1747. Say, Father Thames, for thou hast seen Full many a sprightly race Disporting on thy margent green The paths of pleasure trace, Who foremost now delight to cleave With pliant arm thy glassy wave? To a modern reader this sounds like a social message that seems to be a commentary on the abuse of children, and if the reader wants to take the poem as having that meaning, they are welcome to do so, although it is unlikely that Gray had that thought in mind; he was, after all, writing about boys at Eton College rather than the victims of child labour. Lo, in the vale of years beneath A griesly troop are seen, The painful family of Death, More hideous than their Queen: This racks the joints, this fires the veins, That ev'ry labouring sinew strains, Those in the deeper vitals rage: Lo, Poverty, to fill the band, That numbs the soul with icy hand, And slow-consuming Age.
An ode on a distant prospect of Eton college (1747 edition)
Since sorrow never comes too late, And happiness too swiftly flies. Thought would destroy their paradise. Say, Father Thames, for thou hast seen Full many a sprightly race Disporting on thy margin green The paths of pleasure traceā Who foremost now delight to cleave With pliant arm, thy glassy wave? The poem comprises ten stanzas, each of ten lines. Scott Wilcox Wilcox, Forrester, O'Neil, Sloan. Alas, regardless of their doom, The little victims play! This was 1742 and the Industrial Revolution had barely got under way.
Ode On A Distant Prospect Of Eton College By Thomas Gray
However, much had happened in the meantime to throw a gulf between the past and the present. The poem splits into two even parts, with the first fifty lines concentrating on the past and the present, with the boys at school devoting all their energies to play and study and paying little heed to the future, and the second half dealing with that future and the pain and suffering that it is likely to bring. Ah, happy hills, ah, pleasing shade, Ah, fields belov'd in vain, Where once my careless childhood stray'd, A stranger yet to pain! Gray had become good friends with three other Etonians who went on to make names for themselves, but he had since fallen out with them. Ah, tell them they are men! Gray had been a pupil at Eton from 1727 to 1734, so he was therefore writing about his old school a few years after leaving it. Thought would destroy their Paradise. New Haven: Beinecke Library, Yale University, 2005, 1075, item Y0034; Nelson ed. There is a good deal of fanciful and overblown language here, not untypical of 18 th century poets; it might be noted, for example, that Eton College has no spires and only one tower! Ah, tell them they are men! There is a lot of artificiality in this poem, both in the diction and the sentiments expressed.
Great poetry explained: Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College, by Thomas Gray
The stings of Falsehood those shall try, And hard Unkindness' alter'd eye, That mocks the tear it forc'd to flow; And keen Remorse with blood defil'd, And moody Madness laughing wild Amid severest woe. Instead, he is summarising everything that has gone before in this poem to say that misfortunes will come in their own good time and it would be cruel to inflict them on young people before they are ready to bear them. Stylistically, his poetry forms a bridge between the Augustan neoclassicism of Alexander Pope and the Romanticism of William Wordsworth, and elements of both approaches can be seen in his poetry. Gay hope is theirs by fancy fed, Less pleasing when possest; The tear forgot as soon as shed, The sunshine of the breast: Theirs buxom health of rosy hue, Wild wit, invention ever-new, And lively cheer of vigour born; The thoughtless day, the easy night, The spirits pure, the slumbers light, That fly th' approach of morn. I "Poems on Several Occasions Collected from Different Authors", a manuscript of a collection of approximately 150 poems and excerpts, primarily epitaphs and elegies, poems in praise of virtues, odes dedicated to women, and poems on nature and weather.
Ah, show them where in ambush stand To seize their prey the murth'rous band! In all Blake created 537 illustrations on 269 sheets now in the British Museum , only a fraction of which were actually published. Ye distant spires, ye antique tow'rs , That crown the wat'ry glade, Where grateful Science still adores Her Henry's holy Shade ; And ye, that from the stately brow Of Windsor's heights th' expanse below Of grove, of lawn, of mead survey , Whose turf, whose shade, whose flowr's among Wanders the hoary Thames along His silver-winding way. Thought would destroy their paradise. August 1742 during one of Gray's most productive periods. The prospect is distant in both space and time, although, as mentioned above, the poem was not written all that many years after Gray had left the school.
Thomas Gray Archive : Resources : Finding Aid : Poems, [ca. 1725]
Eton lies on the north bank of the River Thames with Windsor on the much steeper south bank, on top of which stands the famous Windsor Castle. Lo, in the vale of years beneath A griesly troop are seen, The painful family of Death, More hideous than their queen: This racks the joints, this fires the veins, That every labouring sinew strains, Those in the deeper vitals rage; Lo! Vaughan, Again to the life of eternity : William Blake's illustrations to the poems of Thomas Gray, Selinsgrove and London, 1996, pp. No more; where ignorance is bliss, 'Tis folly to be wise. What idle progeny succeed To chase the rolling circle's speed, Or urge the flying ball? Thomas Gray can therefore be regarded as having been highly privileged to be a former pupil. Ah, show them where in ambush stand, To seize their prey, the murderous band! The latter contrast panders to the 18 th century notion that everything in the countryside was good but everything urban was bad, hence the delight of rich female aristocrats to be painted as shepherdesses.
Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College byĆ¢ā¬Ā¦
Ye distant spires, ye antique towers That crown the watery glade, Where grateful Science still adores Her Henry's holy shade; And ye, that from the stately brow Of Windsor's heights th' expanse below Of grove, of lawn, of mead survey, Whose turf, whose shade, whose flowers among Wanders the hoary Thames along His silver-winding way: Ah, happy hills! What idle progeny succeed To chase the rolling circle's speed Or urge the flying ball? I feel the gales, that from ye blow, A momentary bliss bestow, As waving fresh their gladsome wing, My weary soul they seem to soothe, And, redolent of joy and youth, To breathe a second spring. The captive linnet which enthral? The rhyme scheme used by Gray is ABABCCDEED, which is a variant in the typical English ode pattern of ABABCDECDE. To each his sufferings: all are men, Condemn'd alike to groanā The tender for another's pain, Th' unfeeling for his own. A walk from Stoke Poges would be less rewarding today, given that the industrial town of Slough famously decried by John Betjeman has grown across the most direct route. . Gay hope is theirs by fancy fed, Less pleasing when possest; The tear forgot as soon as shed, The sunshine of the breast: Theirs buxom health, of rosy hue, Wild wit, invention ever new, And lively cheer, of vigour born; The thoughtless day, the easy night, The spirits pure, the slumbers light That fly th' approach of morn. The captive linnet which enthrall? Alas, regardless of their doom, The little victims play! New Haven: Beinecke Library, Yale University, 2005, 1075, item Y0034; Nelson ed.
I feel the gales that from ye blow A momentary bliss bestow, As waving fresh their gladsome wing, My weary soul they seem to soothe, And, redolent of joy and youth, To breathe a second spring. A standard edition of the poem was taken apart and the pages mounted on large sheets of paper on which Blake drew and colored his designs. Say, Father Thames, for thou hast seen Full many a sprightly race Disporting on thy margent green The paths of pleasure trace, Who foremost now delight to cleave With pliant arm thy glassy wave? To each his suff'rings: all are men, Condemn'd alike to groan, The tender for another's pain; Th' unfeeling for his own. Since sorrow never comes too late, And happiness too swiftly flies. Ambition this shall tempt to rise, Then whirl the wretch from high To bitter Scorn a sacrifice And grinning Infamy. The prospect, which takes in both Eton and Windsor, would have been seen by Thomas Gray as he walked from Stoke Poges, several miles to the north.
