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The Curfew tolls the knell of parting day, 
     The lowing herd wind slowly o'er the lea,
The plowman homeward plods his weary way, 
     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;

Save that from yonder ivy-mantled tower
     The moping owl does to the moon complain         
Of such, as wandering near her secret bower,
     Molest her ancient solitary reign.

Beneath those rugged...

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1. Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard: Introduction
2. Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard: Text of the Poem
3. Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard: Summary
4. Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard: Thomas Gray Biography
5. Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard: Themes
6. Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard: Style
7. Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard: Historical Context
8. Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard: Critical Overview
9. Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard: Essays and Criticism
   1. Gray's "Elegy" as a Reflection of Social Conscience
   2. Pastoral Qualities of the "Elegy"
   3. Plodding Plowmen: Issues of Labour and Literacy in Gray's "Elegy"
   4. Depression and Release: The Journey of the Spirit in Thomas Gray's "Elegy"
   5. Gray's Political Elegy: Poetry as the Burial of History
10. Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard: Compare and Contrast
11. Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard: Topics for Further Study
12. Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard: Media Adaptations
13. Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard: What Do I Read Next?
14. Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard: Bibliography and Further Reading
15. Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard: Pictures
16. Copyright