There is no sound except the droning of the beetle, the tinkling of bells in
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard
Reference:
These lines have been taken from the poem Elegy Written in a Country
Churchyard written by Thomas Gray.
Context:
(i) Occurrence: Stanza ___ (Lines ______)
(ii) Content: An elegy is a poem which laments the dead. Grays Elegy is
noteworthy in that it mourns the death not of great or famous people,
but of common men. The poem presents the reflections of an observer
who, passing by a churchyard that is out in the country, stops for a
moment to think about the significance of the strangers buried there.
Explanation
The poet sees a country churchyard at sunset, which impels him to
meditate on the nature of human mortality. The poem invokes the
classical idea of memento mori, a Latin phrase which states plainly to
all mankind, Remember that you must die. The speaker considers the
fact that in death, there is no difference between great and common
people. He goes on to wonder if among the lowly people buried in the
churchyard there had been any natural poets or politicians whose talent
had simply never been discovered or nurtured. This thought leads him to
praise the dead for the honest, simple lives that they lived. In these
lines, the poet says that
____________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________ (Elegy Written in a Country
Churchyard is written in heroic quatrains. A quatrain is a four-line stanza. Heroic
quatrains rhyme in an ABAB pattern and are written in iambic pentameter.
lines give us a very important lesson._____.
Lines 1-4 The curfew tolls the knell........................to darkness and tomb.
In this stanza there is the setting of the poem. the poet set on the top of
a hill, is observing a rural sight to the sunset, that is announced by the
sound of the bell. The evening-bell is ringing, marking the end of the day.
The sheep are returning to the village over the pastureland. They are
walking in a winding course as is their habit and. as they walk, they cry
out. The farmer is also walking heavily homewards tired of the day's
labours. The darkness of the night is descending upon the world and The
poet is then left alone to contemplate the isolated rural scene with the
darkness. (in the churchyard).
The first line of the poem sets a distinctly somber tone: the curfew bell
does not simply ring; it knellsa term usually applied to bells rung at a
death or funeral. From the start, then, Gray reminds us of human
mortality.
Lines 5-8: Now fades the glimmering landscape.....the distant folds.
The atmosphere of descending night is continued here from the
preceding stanza. The twilight is deepening into darkness and, landscape,
which was dimly visible in the twilight, has now become invisible to the
eyes. The poet describes a glimmer sight in which even the air is
described as having a solemn stillness (there is a really strong silent in
the air), the poet hears only the buzzing beetle that is trying to fly and
the tinkling of bells round the necks of sheep who are being lulled to
sleep by this tinkling in their pens situated at some distance from the
churchyard where the poet is.
Lines 9-12 Save from that yonder........................solitary region.
In this stanza: the poet moves the look toward an ivy-mantled wall of an
ancient tower, lighted by the moon, so the night owl that comes out from
the tower, is complaining about the moon, that is lightening its reign,
because it wants the darkness.
the sheepfolds and the occasional hooting of the gloomy and lonely owl.
The owl's cry is heard from the ivy-covered church-tower which is the
home of the owl. The owl cries whenever some flying bird or insect goes
too near the tower and invades the secret spot which has been the
dwelling place of the owl for a long time. It would seem as if the owl
were complaining to the moon about undue interference with his
privacy.
Lines 13-16 Beneath these rugged elms... of the hamlet sleep.
In these lines poet now comes to the subject of the elegy he directly
draw our attention to the graves in the country churchyard. Under the
rough elm trees and under the huge yew tree in the churchyard are many
graves on which grass is growing. The. simple, rustic villagers of the past
generations lie buried in these graves where they will sleep for ever and
ever, and where their bodies are turning to dust.
As Gray stands in the churchyard, he thinks of the poorer folk because
the well to do lay buried in the interior of the Church. In Gray's time and
long before it, the churchyard was meant as a burial place for the poor
while the richer persons were buried inside the church, because the
interior of the church was thought to be more sacred. The most coveted
spot was close to the high altar.
Lines 17-20: The breezy call.......................from their lowly bed
In this stanza: the poet makes a sort of meditation on death, he describes
a day country landscape, the strong smell of incense, the swallow
(rondine) that is twittering, the cocks shrill that is announcing the day
that is coming (we can compare the bell that is ringing as announcing the
end of the day to the day cocks shrill that announces the arrival of the
day), with this stanza the poet wants to mean that the sleeping
These
forefathers will never again raise from their beds, the term lowly
beds not only indicates the graves in which people are buried, but also
the humble conditions that they endured when they were alive, so
nothing can awake the forefathers from their Hamlet sleep.
Lines 21-24: For them no more the blazing ...the envied kiss to share.
In this stanza: the poet describes a typical family in the moment in which
men were alive, they enjoyed the normal pleasures of domestic life. Fire
used to burn cheerfully and brightly in their homes, and their wives used
to occupy themselves with their evening duties (like cooking, washing
the dishes, spinning the wheel). And they used to make the men
comfortable. When they went back home they used to be greeted by
their children speaking in their imperfect manner. The children used to
climb up on their knees and compete with one another in receiving the
fond paternal kisses. But all that is ended now. All that life is over now.
No fire will burn for them in the domestic hearth any more, No
housewives will be working to make them comfortable and no children
will run towards them either to welcome them back home or to receive
the paternal kisses. They are dead and buried, and never again will they
enjoy those simple, domestic pleasures of life.
Lines 25-28: Oft did the harvest...................................their sturdy yoke.
In this stanza: the poet describes the job of the happy farmers that after
having sowed the fields, they finally reap the crop. In the first two lines
the poet just describes the moment of the harvest, while, in the last two
lines the poet tells about the happiness and the strength of the peasants
in working the woods, in fact they cut the trees landing vigorous hits
(sturdy strokes).
Each line of this stanza is a picture by itself bringing before our eye the
men at their daily work. When they were alive, these men used to
plough the land and reap the harvest year after year. Even the hardest
soil used to yield to their plough with which they furrowed the earth:
and. many times did they cut the crop with their sickles. They cheerfully
used to drive their teams of horses or oxen, harnessed together for work,
taken to the fields to till the land. With the powerful strokes of their axes
they used to cut down the tree sin the woods. Their work was toilsome
and hard but they did it carefully and light-heartedly. The dead will also
1
no longer be able to enjoy all the pleasures of work, of ploughing the
fields each day.
Lines29-32: Let not Ambition mock ...annals of the poor.
In this stanza the poet says that during their life-time these men
performed useful labour, enjoyed simple and ordinary pleasures, and
lived unknown, inconspicuous lives. Ambitious persons would perhaps
think it a poor record. Ambitious persons would be amused by this
unimpressive performance. It is true that these men did not set the
Thames on fire: but let not persons who hold high positions and who
affect great pomp and show, listen with a scornful smile to the brief and
simple life-story of poor people. In short, let not the ambitious and the
grand persons assume an attitude of contempt towards the humble folk
who lie buried in this churchyard.
poet says not to allow to the ambitious man to mock us, underlining the
fact that isnt absolutely important being in life famous or important
because everything dies with us.
Lines33-36. The boast of heraldry,.. lead but to the grave.
In this famous stanza poet expressed a well-known, universal truth,
namely, that death conquers all. Death does not respect high birth or
high position. Nor can beauty or wealth avail against death. The pride
of glorious descent, the display of authority, the gift of beauty, the
possession of wealth-all these are nothing before death, which is all-
powerful and all conquering. Even a career of victory and conquest, war
like deeds and military exploits, must in the long run end in death. This
stanza is very appealing because of the home truth that it contains. We
are at once reminded of all those great people who ultimately had to
make their exit from this world. All the paths of the glory lead to the
grave.
Lines 37-40 : Nor you, Ye proud impute...the note of praise.
In this stanza, the poet addresses the proud people and asks them not to
blame these humble dead if friends and relations did not erect any
monument to keep their memory alive. What does it matter if no
monument (like statues) were erected inside the church with its long
corridor, its arched roof ornamented with carvings, and its high sounding
sacred music from the organ and choir. (The idea is that it does not
matter if no urns have been erected on the tombs of these dead people
or if no life-like statues of them have been placed inside the church along
the aisle to keep their memory alive).
Lines 41-44 : Can storied urn or ... cold ear of death?
The poet observes that nothing can bring the dead back to life, and that
all the advantages that the wealthy had in life are useless in the face of
death. Neither elaborate funeral monuments nor impressive honours can
restore life.
When rich people die, monuments or memorials are erected to keep
their memory alive. Life-like statues of such persons may be made on
their tombstones depicting the story of their lives. The poet, however,
says that such monuments serve little purpose. No matter how life-like a
statue may be or how vividly a dead man's life may be depicted on an
urn, it is impossible to bring back the departed soul to its body. Likewise,
tributes paid to a man after his death will not in the least stir his dust in
the grave and words of flattery will fail to please the dead man because
he can no longer hear any sound. Neither speeches made in honour of a
dead man can restore him to life nor can the praise showered upon him
give him any pleasure.
Lines 45-48: Perhaps in this neglected spot ... the living lyre.
The idea in this stanza is that perhaps some persons, who were endowed
by nature with high abilities, lie buried in this unknown, obscure country
churchyard, persons whose gifts did not come to light for want of
opportunity. It is quite possible that some one lies buried here whose
heart was full of a divine inspiration or one who was fit to rule as a
sovereign or one who could have developed into a great musician. The
poet imagines that under more favourable circumstances the latent gifts
of these persons might have found scope for exercise. One of these
persons might have become a religions prophet, another an emperor,
another a great poet or musician.
Lines 49-52: But knowledge to their eyes... did ne'er unroll.
The men lying buried in their graves had no opportunities for education.
They were never able to fulfill their political and artistic potential. They
never received the Knowledge that would enable them to rule and to
create. So whatever gifts they had, all remained undeveloped. The vast
accumulated knowledge of centuries remained a closed book to them
and they lived their lives in complete ignorance because of their want of
education. Poverty was a severe handicap to them because it did not
allow them to develop their holy ardour and the generous impulses of
their hearts. Poverty had a benumbing effect upon their noble instincts,
and their poverty dried up their religious enthusiasm or their spiritual
ardour.
Lines 53-56: Full many a flower ... on the desert air.
This is the most famous stanza in the Elegy and one of the finest in the
English poetry. It means that many people, possessing exceptional
talents and gifts, live and die unknown because they find no opportunity
to develop or display those gifts. The idea is illustrated with two very
convincing examples. First, there are may exquisite gems, exceptionally
bright and beautiful that lie at the bottom of the immeasurable deep
oceans. These gems remain unknown to mankind. Second, many
beautiful flowers bloom in the wilderness where nobody can see their
beauty or smell their fragrance. The f1owers in the wilderness as well as
the gems in the depths of the ocean remain unknown to the world.
Likewise there may have been, among these humble dead lying in this
country churchyard, some individuals whose talents or gifts of
potentialities remained undeveloped and unknown. In short, there may
have been people in this village who never had an opportunity to show
their hidden talent.
Lines 57-60: Some village Hampdenhis country's blood.
The poet imagines that among the humble people who lie buried in the
country-churchyard there might be some who, given the opportunity,
could have acquired a name and fame for themselves. There might, for
instance, be among them one who had the courage and boldness of John
Hampden. John Hampden had defied King Charles 1 by refusing in 1636
to pay the ship money which had unjustly been imposed. There might be,
among the dead, someone who boldly defied a cruel task-master in the
fields and who, under more, favorable circumstances, might have shot
into national importance by virtue of his courage and patriotism or there
might be some one among the dead, who had the exceptional poetic gift
of Milton but whose gift found no expression or utterance because of
adverse circumstances and who, therefore, remained unknown to
mankind. Or there might be someone who could have equaled Cromwell
in power and ambition but who was prevented by circumstances, from
causing a civil war and. bloodshed in this country as Cromwell did by
fighting against Charles 1.
Lines 61-65:
Th' applause of list'ning senates... Their lot forbade;
2
The poet says that these men lived unknown lives. Their destiny was humble and ordinary. They led a tranquil and retired existence and they
obscure and did not permit them to do any great deed or establish any never deviated from the peaceful path of life. In this stanza the poet has
spectacular records in any sphere. If, for example, they had the condemned city life as being evil and sinful. But is "ignoble strife"
opportunity, some of them might have become great politicians and confined to cities? Do we find no such thing in villages?
statesmen. In that case they would have addressed parliaments and won
loud appreciation for their oratory. They would have treated with scorn Lines 77-80
challenges from their enemies and threats of destruction from any
Yet e'en these bones........................tribute of a sigh.
quarter. They would have worked for the peace, happiness and
prosperity of their country and their efforts in this direction would have The poet has told us in a previous stanza that no trophies were mounted
been reflected in the look of contentment and joy in the eyes of the on the graves of these humble men who lie buried in this country
nation. But none of these things was possible for them. They lived and churchyard. But that does not mean, the poet now says, that the dead
died unknown. Their talents and abilities, if any, remained dormant and who lie here are utterly nameless and that there is no memorial of any
undeveloped. kind whatsoever for them. Some sort of memorial, though insignificant
and humble, does exist to protect these men from complete obscurity.
The poet gives us two ways in which to consider this power. On the one
Their graves are, as it were, adorned with carved stones bearing
hand, a great ruler can receive applause and can ignore threats of pain
inscriptions in their memory. It is true that the stones have been badly
and ruin. A great leader can scatter plenty, can offer prosperity, to a
and awkwardly carved and that the inscriptions are phrased in
grateful nation. But on the other hand, if one governs, one is, in fact,
unsatisfactory verses. But these carvings and inscriptions do serve some
exposed to dangerous threats. And simply governing to receive
purpose. A chance passer-by might read these inscriptions and might pay
applause suggests a shallow and self-serving motive. Moreover,
his homage to the dead with a sigh of regret. In other words, the carving
scattering plenty implies that the wealth of a nation can be squandered
and inscriptions on the gravestones might excite the sympathy of some
by its rulers. Gray may be suggesting that having power is not as
passer-by.
desirable as it seems.
Lines 81-84 : Their (name) flame, their years ... moralist to die.
Lines 65-68:Their lot forbad: nor circumscribed alone ...of mercy on
mankind; The names and the ages of these dead men are found engraved on the
tombstones. The engravings and the carvings are the work of illiterate
The obscure destiny of these humble people limited not only the growth
persons who, therefore, must have misspelt certain words and must have
of their virtues but also the nature and extent of their crimes. Not only
deformed certain letters. However, these inscriptions serve the purpose
did they lack opportunities for the exercise and development of their
of achieving a certain amount of publicity for these unknown men and
natural abilities and gifts, but they had no occasion to do any wrongs to
they may also be regarded as a substitute for poetic lamentations on
their nation or to the world. Thus their humble destiny had its good side
their death. That is, these inscriptions serve to commemorate these
also. It prevented them from committing violence or fighting war or
otherwise unknown men. Besides the inscription, many scriptural texts
inflicting cruelties on mankind in order to establish empires. It was not
or instructive questions from the Bible are engraved on the tombstones.
possible for them to become tyrants and to cause bloodshed in order to
These holy texts teach us the vanity of human life so that villagers given
gain a crown. Thus the sphere of their life was too narrow either to allow
to reflection would, on reading these texts, get into a philosophical mood
any great and noble deeds or to permit any crimes and cruelties.
and would begin to regard death as a desirable escape from life. These
Lines 69-72: The struggling pangs of conscious truth ... at the Muse's texts would induce in a thoughtful villager a desire to die.
fame.
Lines 85-88: For who, to dumb forgetfulness ... ling'ring look behind?
As these persons led humble, unknown lives, they were saved from doing
Is there any human being who, while dying, does not have the desire to
certain degrading things which generally accompany wealth and rank. For
be remembered after his death? Was there ever a man who, while giving
instance their humble destiny prevented them from suppressing truth
up this life, wished to be utterly ignored and forgotten? Nobody, while
which always struggles to come out but which dishonest people always
making his exit from this bright, sunlit world, could ever reconcile himself
try to suppress. Similarly these persons did not, as hardened sinners do,
to being completely forgotten. Every dying man casts a regretful look
kill their consciences which make guilty men blush. In other words, they
upon this world and wishes to be remembered after his death in some
never lost the sense of right and wrong, and the sense of wrong always
form or the other. A dying man would no doubt become the victim to
made them blush with shame. Again, these men did not degrade
oblivion but he wants a memory of him to remain in the form of a
themselves by flattering the proud and the wealthy as was the habit of
memorial or an elegy, or an engraving on his tombstone.
poets who in dedicating their poems to their patrons lavished
extravagant and exaggerated praise on them. It was the fashion among Poet uses a paradox in this pleasing anxious being. On the one hand,
the poets in those days to dedicate their works to some prominent being or living can be anxious, filled with worries. On the other hand,
and powerful person who, by his patronage could bring them into notice. just being alive when faced with death is itself pleasing or
Such dedications were often full of extravagant and exaggerated praise. pleasant. The poet is suggesting that even the troubles and worries of life
Thus poets in those days used to worship the idea of position and wealth are enjoyable in comparison to death.
('Luxury and Pride") with their poetic offerings that had been inspired by
the goddess of poetry. These humble persons who lie buried in the Lines 89-92: On some fond breast ... live there wonted fires.
country churchyard did not, however, have to humiliate and degrade
themselves thus. They were spared this degradation because their poetic This stanza may be regarded as an answer to the question contained in
gifts, if any, remained unused and undeveloped. the preceding one. When dying, a man seeks comfort and consolation
from some loving friend or relative. The presence of a loving friend by
Lines 73-76: the bed-side is a great comfort to the dying man. The dying man needs
tears of affection and sympathy from his near and dear ones. Even when
Far from the madding ...tenor of their way. one is dead and buried, the same natura1 desire for loving remembrance
that lived in the body still lives on and finds expression in the inscriptions
In this stanza is described the calm, peaceful life which these men who
on the tombs. Thus everyone yearns for some kindly, loving
now lie buried in the country churchyard, once lived. These men lived far
remembrance while a spark of life yet remains in him; nay, even after the
from the scenes of feverish struggle and restless activities of crowds of
spark of life has been extinguished, even when all is dust and ashes, that
people in the cities where the noise is almost maddening and where sin
yearning must still be felt. In short, the desire for affection, sympathy and
and evil dominate human life. These men had no) wild, soaring
remembrance can never die.
ambitions. They never followed evil courses and their desires were

3
Lines 93-96: For thee, who mindful..shall inquire thy fate.
In this stanza the poet turns his thoughts to himself and thinks of his own
death. Addressing himself, he says that he has not ignored the humble
and unknown men who lie buried in this churchyard. He has taken notice
of these men and has in this poem narrated their simple story. In other
words, he has written an elegy to commemorate them. It is quite
possible that one day somebody with a temperament similar to that of
the poet would in a mood of lonely reflection, make enquiries about the
poet's fate. The idea is that, when the poet dies, some other poet might
ask questions about him from the inhabitants of this village.
This stanza is, in fact, the poets epitaph; the way in which the poet
imagines his epitaph will read. Through the epitaph, the poet asks the
passerby (and the reader) not to remember him as wealthy, famous, or
brilliantly educated, but as one who was melancholic or deeply
thoughtful and sad.
In this grave lies buried a young man who attained neither name nor any
financial success In spite of his humble birth, science and scholarship
favoured him. He was by temperament a melancholy or
thoughtful person. In this stanza Gray has tried further to characterize
himself.

Lines 97-100: Haply, some, hoary-headed the upland lawn. Lines 121-124: Large was his bounty... a friend.

The poet imagines how an old farm laborer might remember him after
his death. If the poet speculates, the kindred Spirit: sees the poetss
grave and wonders about it, perhaps some aged villager with grey hair on
his head would make the following reply. We have often seen the men
you are inquiring about (that is, Thomas Gray). Every day at dawn we
used to see him walking quickly over the dew-covered ground to climb
up the hill in order to watch the sun rising."
Lines 101-104: There at the foot of ... that babbles by,
Continuing his reply, the grey haired shepherd will say that at noontime,
Thomas Gray was in the habit of stretching his tired, weary body at the
foot of that beech tree with its branches hanging downwards and its
roots standing up above the ground; twisted into strange shapes. Lying
under the tree he used to gaze thoughtfully at the stream that flowed
close by with a murmuring sound.
Lines 105-108 : Hard by yon wood ... in hopeless love.
The hoary-headed swain informing the inquirer will say that Thomas
Gray was in the habit of roaming about near the wood there. While
walking about, he used to speak out his whimsical ideas and fantastic
notions to himself. As he walked thus, he sometimes smiled scornfully,
and sometimes he looked sorrowful and pale. With his head hanging
down, he walked like a man who is lonely and friendless or like a man
who is tormented by some anxiety or like one who is completely
frustrated in love. It should be remembered that Gray was a melancholy,
morbid man. His own mood is correctly described here.
Lines 109-112 : One morn I missed ... nor at the wood was he;
This stanza is, in fact, the poets epitaph; the way in which the poet
imagines his epitaph will read. Through the epitaph, the poet asks the
passerby (and the reader) not to remember him as wealthy, famous, or
brilliantly educated, but as one who was melancholic or deeply
thoughtful and sad.
The man who lies buried in this grave (namely, the poet Gray himself)
was large hearted, generous, and sincere. God richly compensated him
for all his wants and deficiencies. He was not a rich man but he gave to
the poor and needy all his sympathy. He felt deeply the misfortunes of
people and was often moved to tears by their distress. He expected no
material reward from God;. all he wished from God was divine protection
and that he did get.
Lines 125-128: Nor further seek ... and his God.
This stanza is, in fact, the poets epitaph; the way in which the poet
imagines his epitaph will read. Through the epitaph, the poet asks the
passerby (and the reader) not to remember him as wealthy, famous, or
brilliantly educated, but as one who was melancholic or deeply
thoughtful and sad.
The poet concludes by cautioning the reader not to praise him any
further. He also asks that his frailties, his flaws or personal weaknesses,
not be considered; rather, they should be left to the care of God, with
whom the speaker now resides. The poem, then, is an elegy not only for
the common man, but for the poet himself. Indeed, by the end of the
poem it is evident that the poet himself wishes to be identified not with
the great and famous, but with the common people whom he has
praised and with whom he will, presumably, be buried.

Continuing his reply the hoary-headed swain will say to his inquirer. "One
day I failed to see that man (Thomas Gray, the poet). I did not see him at
any of the places he was accustomed to visit. He was not seen on the hill
or on the open heath or beneath his loved beech tree, or by the side of
the stream or on the upland lawn or even near the wood. The next
morning came but still Thomas Gray did not appear. So I wondered what
had happened to him." The idea is that the villager would tell the visitor
that Thomas Gray was dead. The poet is here referring to his own death
here.

Lines 113.116: The next with dirges due ... you aged thorn.

With this stanza the grey haired swain of line 97 completes his reply to
the question of the "kindred spirit" mentioned in line 96. In the
preceding stanza, the grey-haired swain has told his questioner that one
day Thomas Gray failed to appear at his usual haunts. The next day, the
dead body of Gray was seen being carried slowly in a sad procession with
the mourners singing funeral songs befitting the occasion. The body was
taken to the churchyard where, under an ancient hawthorn tree, it was
buried. The swain then invited the questioner to approach the grave and
read the epitaph engraved upon it, because the questioner, being an
educated man, will be able to read and appreciate the inscription. What
the poet means to say is that one day he too would die and be buried in
this same churchyard. The epitaph which he has written for himself
would be inscribed on his tomb.

Lines 117-120: Here rests his head... for her own. (THE EPITAPH)

4

Rape of the lock
Reference:
These lines have been taken from the poem Rape of lock written by
Alexander Pope.
Context:
From Mobile / OR
(i) Occurrence: Stanza __ (Lines _________)
(ii) Content: The poem satirizes a society through two families that
had allowed a minor incident to assume undue importance. A young man
had cut off a lock of hair from the head of a society belle. The incident
itself and the reaction to it are inflated by the devices of epic poetry.
Through this mock-heroic satire, Pope brings the incident into the focus
of common sense.
Explanation
From Mobile canto1
lines 1-6 The poet sings of"great contests"that arise from"trivial causes"and
hopes that Caryl, who suggested that Pope write the poem, and Belinda, who
inspired the poem, will read it.
lines 7-12 "What strange motive,"the poet asks, could cause this assault and
violent reaction?
lines 13-26The sun opens the sleeper's eyes. It is twelve o'clock. Belinda lies in
bed, still sleeping, protected by her sylph, who has brought her a dream of a
charming youth, who seems to speak to her.
(lines 27-66)Belinda, the"Fairest of mortals,"the responsibility of a thousand bring
spirits, should believe all she has seen or heard of"angel-powers". She should know
that innumerable spirits hover around her and make her superior to common
mortals with only physical attendants. These attendant sylphs were once women,
and now continue the interests they had when mortal. When the proud beauty
dies, her soul returns to its original element (fire, water, earth, or air), as its
temperament directs.
(lines 67-78)Each fair and chaste maiden is protected by a sylph, who guards her
honor in the face of the most tempting conditions.
(lines 79-90)Since nymphs are proudly conscious of their beauty and have dreams
of rising to high station, such thoughts "early taint the female soul".
(lines 91-104)It is the sylphs who cause women to stray. They direct that beau be
opposed to beau, as wigs, sword knots, and coaches strive with each other at the
sylphs' contrivance.
(105-114)The speaker announces that "Ariel is my name,"Belinda's guardian sylph.
Lately he has seen a dire event in her future, though he cannot tell just what it is to
be.
(lines 121-148)Awakened by her dog, Shock, Belinda opens her eyes and a love
letter. She reads it, and the vision vanishes (lines 115-120). Belinda is now carefully
groomed and dressed by her haid and attendant sylphs.
In these lines, the poet says that
____________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
______________ (Pope wrote The Rape of the Lock in heroic couplets. A heroic
couplet is a unit of two rhyming lines in iambic pentameter. The entire poem
consists of one heroic couplet followed by another, as demonstrated by the first
four lines of the poem. These lines give us a very important.
DONNE; The Good Morrow
I wonder, by my truth, what thou and I
Did, till we loved; were we not weaned till then,
But sucked on country pleasures, childishly?
Or snorted we in the Seven Sleepers den?
Twas so; but this, all pleasures fancies be.
If ever any beauty I did see,
Which I desired, and got, twas but a dream of thee.
Reference:
These lines have been taken from the Poem The Good-Morrow Written
by John Donne.
Context:
(i) Occurrence: Stanza 1 (Lines 1-7)
(ii) Content: This poem is considered to be one of the best poems
belonging to the metaphysical school of poetry. It describes the poet's
profligate past and his present spiritual awakening. The subject is love,
love seen as an intense, absolute experience, which isolates the lovers
from reality and gives them a different kind of awareness; a
simultaneous narrowing and widening of reality. This perfect love is
immortal and it makes the lovers immortal too.
Explanation.
In the beginning of the Good morrow poem, the poet asks his beloved
how they used to spend their lives before they had met each other. With
his beloved in arms, the poet realizes how empty his life was before he
had met her. He considers that phase of their lives to be as meaningless
as the ones spent in slumber by the seven sleepers of Ephesus in the den
when they were trying to escape wrath of the tyrant Emperor Decius.
Being without his beloved was as insignificant as those years which the
seven sleepers had spent sleeping. It means that those years bore no
importance in his life anymore. During those days when he was yet to
discover true love, he would make up for that emptiness by indulging in
other pleasures of life but now after understanding the meaning of love
he realizes that those pleasures were very artificial. Now it seems to the
poet as if he was a small child during those days who was being weaned
on these materialistic pleasures of the world in the absence of true love
which was like mothers milk to that child. During those days all objects
of beauty that he came across were nothing but her beloveds reflection.
To the poet her beloved was like a beautiful dream which was turned
into reality. In this Good morrow analysisit is worth mentioning that
through false pleasures the poet might be indicating towards his various
liaisons with other women which were just a reflection of the beauty
which his true lover filled him with.
And now good-morrow to our waking souls,
Which watch not one another out of fear ;
For love all love of other sights controls,
And makes one little room an everywhere.
Let sea-discoverers to new worlds have gone ;
Let maps to other, worlds on worlds have shown ;
Let us possess one world ; each hath one, and is one.
Reference:
These lines have been taken from the Poem The Good-Morrow Written
by John Donne.
Context:
5
(i) Occurrence: Stanza 2 (Lines 8-14)
(ii) Content: This poem is considered to be one of the best poems
belonging to the metaphysical school of poetry. It describes the poet's
profligate past and his present spiritual awakening. The subject is love,
love seen as an intense, absolute experience, which isolates the lovers
from reality and gives them a different kind of awareness; a
simultaneous narrowing and widening of reality. This perfect love is
immortal and it makes the lovers immortal too.
Explanation.
This second stanza begins with hail and celebration. The unconscious
past of flesh is over and a new conscious spiritual relationship begins. So
the poet cerebrates the present. Now good morrow to our waking
souls. He says that their souls rise in the light of the new morning of love
in their lives. He also makes declaration that their souls have also learnt
not to spy one another. Their hearts are devoid of any kind of fear of
commitment, misunderstanding or losing the one they love. Their
presence in the each others life means so much to them that nothing
catches their attention anymore. Donne proposes his loved one to turn
their tiny room in which they make love into their only world. He says
that he does not care about how much the sea discoverers expand the
boundaries of the world with their discoveries. During those times when
maritime discoveries were given utmost importance, the new inclusions
to the map of the world meant nothing to the poet since his world only
comprised of his beloved and him. Their respective worlds have now
been fused into one. This drawing of an intellectual parallel from
astronomy and geography strengthens the metaphysics of the poem
My face in thine eye, thine in mine appears,
And true plain hearts do in the faces rest;
Where can we finde two better hemispheares
Without sharpe north, without declining west?
Reference:
These lines have been taken from the Poem The Good-Morrow Written
by John Donne.
Context:
(i) Occurrence: Stanza 3 (Lines 15-21)
(ii) Content: This poem is considered to be one of the best poems
belonging to the metaphysical school of poetry. It describes the poet's
profligate past and his present spiritual awakening. The subject is love,
love seen as an intense, absolute experience, which isolates the lovers
from reality and gives them a different kind of awareness; a
simultaneous narrowing and widening of reality. This perfect love is
immortal and it makes the lovers immortal too.
Explanation.
In these lines the poets talks about the unique beauty of the love which
he and his beloved, Anne Moore, share. Face-to-face with his lover, the
poet sees his own face reflected in her eyes and assumes that she can see
his too. It demonstrates a spiritual bond between them. Gazing into her
eyes, the poet claims that emotional honesty resides in the face. The
pure love in their hearts is written in their eyes and the expression of
their mouths. The poets then puts a rhetorical question about their
hearts, using a conceit to compare them to two separated hemispheres.
Sure, the world has its own hemispheres, but those are an inferior
product. The heart-hemispheres are perfectly designed and perfectly
matched. With no cold wintry north, these hearts are full of warm
southern love; and with no west, where the sun sets every day, bringing
darkness to the world, they hold nothing but constancy and light. Thus
the lovers world is out of this world, so it does not have the same
problems as the real world has, it is utopic perfect.
The Sunne Rising
(1-10) Busy old fool, unruly sun,-------
---------months, which are the rags of time.
Reference:
These lines have been taken from the Poem The Sunne Rising Written
by John Donne.
Context:
This poem is considered to be one of the best poems belonging to the
metaphysical school of poetry. The subject is love,
In the poem poet is in love with a women whilst lying in bed with her. He
is addressing the Sun that is rising because it is disturbing the blissful
night that the speaker and his lover had.
The argument that poet is making is that the Sun is disturbing their night.
He wants the Sun to go away and bother other people, but poet shifts
the idea from that to the importance of him and his lover and their room.
The poet then claims that the bed is the centre of the universe and that if
the Sun only shine there then it is shining on the whole world.
Explanation. (From Mobile)
the first stanza the idea is that the Sun is bothering the poet. This can be
seen in the condescending way the speaker addresses the Sun and also in
the rhetorical questions being asked. Sun, why do you insist on peeping
through windows and curtains like some old busybody, getting us out of
bed like some unwanted visitor calling round? Go after the boys who are
running late for school, and the apprentices who arent hurrying to get to
work! Go and do something useful, like telling the huntsman at the royal
court that the king has decided to go out riding today, or tell the ants to
go about their business. But love [i.e. what my lover and I were up to
until you turned up] does not obey the hours of the day or seasons of the
year: it transcends such things. At the end of the first stanza, the speaker
makes a romantic gesture.
(11 20) Thy beams, so reverend -----------
----------------------hear, All here in one bed lay.
In the second stanza, Donne gets personal: You with your strong suns
rays, what are you thinking? I could get rid of your light in an instant, by
simply closing my eyes but I dont want to because that would also
deprive me of sight of my beloved. Have you been blinded by the beauty
of her eyes yet? If not, then look, and then tomorrow evening, come
back and tell me whether the East Indies and West Indies both prized
for their spices and their precious minerals are where you left them, or
whether such treasures and gems lie here next to me, my beloved is such
a wonderful treasure. Ask for the kings you saw yesterday, and youll find
that all the royal splendour of the world has been lying here.
(21 30) Shes all states, and all --------------------
---------------center is, these walls, thy sphere.
In the third and final stanza, Donne homes in yet further on his beloved:
My lover is all states and all princes of the world rolled into one oh yes.
Nothing else exists that is worth our attention. Princes are mere shadows
of my beloved and me: next to our love, all honour is a sham, all wealth
is like alchemy, a vain attempt to create riches from base metals. And
you, Sun, are only half as happy as we are, in that the world, your natural
partner, is already promised to another (i.e. my beloved and I are the
world, and sorry, Sun were spoken for). Youre getting old, and since
its your job to warm the world, youve done your job once youve
warmed us, because, as I say, we are the world. Shine here, and you
6
shine on everything (or everything that matters). This bed on which we
lie is the centre of the world, and the walls of this bedroom are the edges
of the worlds sphere.
A Valediction Forbidding Mourning
Reference:
These lines have been taken from the Poem A Valediction Forbidding
Mourning Written by John Donne.
Context:
Forbidding Mourning is a poem that gives the description of an
unconditional love. It is a love that is so fine that do not care about
physical contact and separation. Although the couple was separated,
they will be fine and their love will.
A valediction means a parting, leave-taking, and saying goodbye. A
Valediction Forbidding Mourning poem of Donne is concerns on the
meaning of real love and separation-not death. Donne explains a Platonic
love. It is a love that is above physical love, simple, everlasting, and pure.
Explanation.
Stanza I:
As virtuous men pass mildly away
And whisper to their souls to go
While some of their sad friends do say
The breath goes now, and some say, no
This stanza has a visual imagery of the dying of virtuous men. If virtuous
men die, they will die so smoothly and painlessly that their relatives
almost did not realize his leaving and wondered whether he has gone or
not yet.
Here, the idea of death is associated with peaceful acceptance and mild
sadness. From this description, it is likely that the speaker wants to
compare his love toward his lover is so true that when he dies or leaves
the separation will be less painful. The description is emphasized in the
next stanzas.
Stanza II:
So let us melt, and make no noise
No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move
Twere profanation of our joys
To tell the laity our love
With audial imagery, the speaker wants his lover not to cry and forbids
her to make a big fuss upon his leaving because the speaker assumes that
showing off the depth of their love is a betrayal to the joys they spent
together.
From the description, it seems that the speaker wants his lover to be
resilient when he leaves. He also wants her not to exaggerate her sorrow
because the over-showed expression of sorrow only shows that
her love is not deep. Since he forbids his lover not to exaggerate her
sorrow, it is very likely that he wants to say that their love is
extraordinary.
Stanza III:
Moving of thearth brings harms and fears
Men reckon what it did and meant
But trepidation of the spheres
Though greater far, is innocent.
The stanza describes that the moving of earth brings harms and fears to
human being. However, the movement of the spheres (of the Ptolemaic
universe conception1) is innocent or pure.
It seems safe to assume that the speaker wants to say that the greater
their love is, the less pain they show when parting. It is analogized with
the earth and the universe. If something happens on earth, people will
feel it; but if there are two planets colliding in the universe, people will
not feel the great impact of it. And so is love. The greater the love, the
deeper it touches people, the lesser pain showed when parting because
the love is more complex and perfect.
However, the phrase trepidation of the spheres can be related to the
Ptolemaic theory of universe.
Allen claims:
The Ptolemaic theory envisions the universe as a series of concentric
spheres which move around the earth, and as they rub against each
other they produce the music of the spheres, which represents the
perfection of Gods creation. Our problem is that as fallen humans, we
have lost our ability to perceive the music of the spheres. Indeed, as a
result of the fall of man, everything beneath the sphere of the moon is
imperfect. (Allen, Ptolemaic Universe)
Thus, it seems that the speaker wants to say that their love is like the
celestial beings outside the moons sphere-it means that their love is so
pure, perfect, and heavenly. Therefore, parting is not a problem for
them.
Stanza IV:
Dull sublunary lovers love
(Whose soul is sense) cannot admit
Absence, because it doth remove
Those things which elemented it
The love of human beings on earth is dull and cannot admit absence
because it removes those things which become the elements of the love.
The word sublunary refers to earth because, according to Ptolemaic
Universe, earth is located in the center, followed by Mercury, Venus, the
Moon, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, the Fixed Stars, and the Primum
Mobile (Allen, Ptolemaic Universe). Related to this, it is generally
believed that nothing beneath the moon is pure.
Here, the speaker wants to explain the ordinary love of human being in
general. People love only for physical reason, and this love cannot admit
separation-if they separate, the factors that bring them together will
disappear.
Stanza V:
But we by a love, so much refind
That ourselves know not what it is,
Inter-assured of the mind
Care less, eyes, lips, and hands to miss
The love between the speaker and his lover is so much refined until they
do not know what it is, and this love does not care about eyes, lips, and
hands (physical).
Here, the speaker compares the love between him and his lover to the
ordinary love on the previous stanza. In this stanza (stanza V), he wants
to convey that their love is pure and above the ordinary love.
Their love does not mind physical contact because it is not a big matter in
their love. Their love is more to spiritual love that needs no physical
closeness to keep it growing.
Stanza VI:
Our two souls therefore, which are one,
Though I must go, endure not yet
A breach, but an expansion
Like gold to airy thinness beat
The soul of the speaker and his lover are actually one. Although the
speaker has to go, it is not a break but an expansion, like gold beaten into
airy thinness.
This stanza, especially lines one and two, shows that-actually-the soul of
the speaker and his lover are bound to be one, so it cannot be separated.
However, such as described in lines three and four, if they are separated,
it is not a real separation that can break their love, but it is actually a
means to develop and mature their love that is like gold: pure and
unbeatable.
Stanza VII:
If they be two, they are two so
As stiff twin compasses are two
Thy soul the fixed foot, makes no show
To move, but doth, if th other do
The comparison between compass and the soul of the speaker is the
central idea here. If the soul of the speaker and his love are two, they are
like compass. His lover is compared as the stiff foot, while he himself is
the moving one. It is likely that the speaker wants to say that his lover is
7
the main support and encouragement for himself, just like the stiff foot
of a compass which supports the moving foot.
Stanza VIII:
And though it in the center sit,
Yet when the other far doth roam,
It leans, and hearkens after it
And grows erect, as that comes home.
It is a description of a compass. Although the stiff foot stands in the
center, if the other foot roams further, the stiff foot will lean. This stiff
foot will stand again if the moving foot returns.
This stanza is the continuing part of stanza VII. In this stanza, the speaker
wants to emphasize his previous idea that his lover is his supporter who
will always welcome him and support him no matter what (as the
leaning foot of a compass that supports the other foot when it roams).
Stanza IX:
Such will thou be to me, who must
Like thother foot, obliquely run;
Thy firmness makes my circle just,
And makes me end, where I begun.
The stanza describes the meaning of the lover to the speaker. While the
speaker is like the other foot that moves, the firmness of his lover makes
the speakers circle just and perfect and makes him end where he begun.
In this stanza, the speaker says that he compares his lover as the stiff foot
while he himself is the moving one. It is clear that the speaker wants to
say the real meaning of his lover to him. He wants to say that his lover is
his everything; she is the one who makes his love and life perfect; and
she is his sanctuary. The circle here is the representative of the
speakers pure and perfect love that is like gold since circle is a
symbol of perfection and gold (Allen, A Valediction: Forbidding
Mourning).
The Extasie
Reference:
These lines have been taken from the Poem The Extasie Written by
John Donne.
Context:
The poem The Ecstasy is one of John Donne's most popular poems, which
expresses his unique and unconventional ideas about love. It expounds
the theme that pure, spiritual or real love can exist only in the bond of
souls established by the bodies. For Donne, true love only exists when
both bodies and souls are inextricably united. Donne criticizes the
platonic lover who excludes the body and emphasizes the soul. Donne
compares bodies to planets and souls to the angels that body and souls
are inseparable but they are independent. According to the medieval
mystical conception, 'ecstasy' means a trance-like state in which the soul
leaves the body, comes out, and holds communion with the Divine, the
Supreme or the Over-soul of the Universe.
Explanation.
Stanza I: 4 lines = 1 stanza . total 19 stanzas
All from mobile
In short
In the opening, Donne is describing the scenery of a river or lakeside
bank. He describes himself and another as pillows on a bed as they lie
there.
The second stanza described how their hands were held together and
cemented with perspiration. He then described beams coming out of
their eyes and twisting like thread which holds their eyes together as
with a single, double thread.
The third stanza Donne states that the lovers hands were all they had to
make themselves into one, further; he says that the reflections in their
eyes were their only way to propagate.
The four stanza use a metaphor of armies to describe their souls. The two
are equal armies and fate keeps victory uncertain, which is like the way
the lovers souls are suspended.
Furthering the army metaphor, stanza five has the souls negotiating as
their bodies lie like memorial statues. They remained that way the whole
day and said nothing to each other.
The next stanza postulates whether any man can be so refined in love
that he can understand the language of the the soul, and furthermore, if
that good love of the mind stood at a convenient distance.
Stanza seven relates that the two souls now speak as one; they may take
a concoction and leave that place better off than when they arrived.
The eighth stanza states that their state of ecstasy unperplexes or
simplifies thing, and they can see that it was not sex that motivated
them.
The ninth stanza furthers the idea that two lovers are one soul which is
mixedo`each a part of the other.
The next uses a metaphor of a transplanted violet to show how two souls
can be interlaminated and how this new soul can repair the defects of
each of the indivual souls.
The eleventh stanza again furthers the idea of two souls as one. In it says
that the lovers know what they are made of, and that no change can
invade them.
The next stanza asks why the bodies are left out, and it says that
although the soul is the intelligence, the bodies are the sphere which
controls them, like the celestial spheres.
Stanza thirteen thanks the bodies for their service of bringing the soul
to be and for yielding their senses. The bodies are not impurities that
weaken, but rather alloys that strengthen us.
The next stanza relates the method of how the body and soul are related.
Heavenis influence does not work on man like other things. It imprints
the air so that peoples souls may flow out from the body.
Stanza fifteen tells how our blood works to make spirits that can help
the body and soul together make us man.
Stanza sixteen postulates that lovers souls must give in to affections and
wits that our bodies provide. If not, we are likened to a great prince in
prison.
The next stanza says that we turn to our bodies so that weak men may
look at them, but that love is true mysteries are grown in the soul. The
body is just the souls book.
The last stanza sums up the scene by speculating how they would be
regarded by another lover in their dialogue of the combined souls.
Donne says that this lover will see a small change when their bodies are
gone.
Prologue Canterbury Tales
Reference:
These lines have been taken from Geoffrey Chaucer The Prologue to the
Canterbury Tales
Context:
It is the month of April in circa 1390. A group of twenty-nine pilgrims
gathers at a tavern in Southwark called Tabard Inn. The goal of their
journey is the shrine of St. Thomas a Becket in Canterbury. The narrator,
Chaucer, encounters them there and becomes one of their company. The
narrator seeks to describe their 'condition', 'array' and 'degree'. The Host
at the Inn proposes the story-telling contest among the pilgrims.
Explanation. All from mob/ print
That of hir smylyng was ful symple and coy;
Hire gretteste ooth was but by Seinte Loy;
And she was cleped Madame Eglentyne.
8
In these lines the poet has described three characteristics of Prioress; her
smile, faith and nick name. The smile of the Prioress is very simple. It is
easy to understand, presenting no difficulty. Her smile also makes a
pretence of shyness and modesty which intends to be alluring. Thus she
is a coquettish woman. Secondly, she has a firm faith in Saint Eloy who
was the patron saint of goldsmiths, other metalworkers, and coin
collectors. This saint worked for twenty years to convert the pagan
population of Flanders to Christianity. Thirdly, she has a romantic name,
Madam Eglantine. Eglantine is, in fact, a wild rose native to Eurasia
having prickly stem, fragrant leaves, bright pink flowers, and scarlet hips.
In Madam Eglantine, Chaucer depicts charm without substance. Thus
Chaucer has described the nun in the opposite way to show us, how the
nun Prioress had all the characteristics that a nun should not have.
(a) That of hir smylyng .......... cleped Madam Eglentyne.
EXPLANATION
In these lines the poet has described three characteristics of the
Prioress; her smile, faith and nick name. The smile of the Prioress is very
simple. It is easy to understand, presenting no difficulty. Her smile also
makes a pretence of shyness and modesty which intends to be alluring.
Thus she is a coquettish woman. Secondly, she has a firm faith in Saint
Eloy who was the patron saint of goldsmiths, other metalworkers, and
coin collectors. This saint worked for twenty years to convert the pagan
population of Flanders to Christianity. Thirdly, she has a romantic name,
Madam Eglantine. Eglantine is, in fact, a wild rose native to Eurasia
having prickly stem, fragrant leaves, bright pink flowers, and scarlet hips.
In Madam Eglantine, Chaucer depicts charm without substance. Thus
Chaucer has described the nun in the opposite way to show us, how the
nun Prioress had all the characteristics that a nun should not have.
(b) And theron heng .......... Amor Vincit Omnia.
EXPLANATION
In these lines the poet has portrayed the Prioress's gold brooch and its
motto. A brooch is a decorative jewelry item designed to be attached to
garments by a pin or clasp, often to hold them closed. It is worn at or
near the neck. The brooch, the Prioress is wearing, is dominated by the
letter "A" which stands for Amor i.e. love. Some critics also assume the
the brooch is in the shape of the letter "A". However, the most striking
quality of the brooch is the Latin inscription on it: "Amor vincit omnia"
which means "Love conquers all." This quote is from "Eclogue X" by
Virgil. This Virgilian motto is very ambiguous. If it refers to celestial,
heavenly love, then the brooch is an acceptable article to be found on
the person of a nun. But it represents earthly love between a man and a
woman which is absent in nuns. In short, the brooch is a symbol of the
Prioress's unchristian character, her connection to laymen and the
peasantry, rather than to any religious vocation.
(b) Therefore he was .......... no cost wolde he spare.
EXPLANATION
In these lines the poet describes the Monk's favourite pastimes; riding
horses and hunting hares. A monk is a member of religious community of
men typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
However, Chaucer's Monk is corrupt. He does not follow the rules of the
monastery which say that monks should not hunt. This Monk prefers to
go hunting. He has many galloping horses and coursing greyhounds. The
greyhounds are as fast as birds in flight. They can run at a speed of 64
kilometers per hour. He uses these greyhounds to track his preys. He
usually hunts hares which are very innocent animals. This shows the
Monk's cruel nature. To ride the horses and hunt the hares was a source
of pleasure for him. He would do it whatever the cost. In short, he is a
"monk out of his cloister" who is not "worth an oyster".
(d) Full wel biloved .......... wommen of the toun;
EXPLANATION
In these lines the poet describes the Friar's intimacy with the
franklins of his country and noblewomen of his town. The main duty of a
friar is to live among the poor, to beg on their behalf and to give his
earning to aid their struggle for livelihood. However, Chaucer's Friar is
corrupt. He has acquaintance with franklins; the landowners of free but
not noble birth. Moreover, he has familiarity with the noblewomen of
the town because he has the power of confession. He is highly liked by
these opulent people. In short, the Friar likes to hang out with wealthy
people instead of living the life that St. Francis, the first friar, prescribes,
he would spend time with the poor and sick.
Paradise Lost 1
Reference:
These lines have been taken from John Milton Paradise Lost 1
Context:
The first book begins with an overview of the whole poem and its subject
Mans Disobedience and loss of paradise through the temptations of
Satan in the form of a serpent.
The poet, in the tradition of epic poetry, invokes the muse to help him
explain these high matters. In this case, he requests a Heavenly Muse
like the one who inspired Moses because his aim is to assert Eternal
Providence,/ And justify the ways of God to men.
He asks, what could cause the Grand Parents (Adam and Eve) in the
happy state of Eden to transgress the will of God? Who first seduced
them?
The infernal Serpent out of envy and revenge deceived the mother of
mankind, he answers. Satans pride had caused him to be cast out of
heaven with the rebel angels. They were Hurled headlong flaming from
thEthereal Sky. Nine days and nights they fell until the horrid crew lay
vanquished on the burning lake of hell.
Satan suffers for the lost happiness of heaven and lasting pain of hell
that only cements his obdurate pride and steadfast hate. Though
chained to fire, he is in a place that gives no light; hell is darkness
visible because it is as far from God as possible.
The first person he sees next to him is Beelzebub, his fellow conspirator
in the rebellion. Satan is unrepentant and blames God for having injured
his pride. He declares that all is not lost as long as he has his
unconquerable will. He will find a way to revenge himself and pledges
eternal War. Though bragging loudly, he is rackt with deep despair.
Beelzebub says God must be almighty to have done this to them; they
are still his slaves even in the deep.
Satan rebukes him for weakness and declares their aim is to turn good to
evil. He believes he rules in hell, but he only does so with the permission
of heaven. He flies over the landscape with Beelzebub and accepts his
new kingdom: Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven. Satan calls
all the devils to arise.
The names of the bad angels have been erased in heaven, but the poet
now lists their infernal names, many of which are the names of pagan
deities on earth (Moloch, Dagon, Mammon, etc). Satan asserts himself
as the leader, speaking the semblance of truth, rousing his army with
trumpets and ten thousand banners. Mammon digs riches from the
ground of hell, and the devils build a capitol, Pandemonium, to which all
are called to council.
Explanation. From mob/ print
9
10