Discuss “The Scholar Gipsy” as a Pastoral Elegy.

    Matthew Arnold's "The Scholar Gipsy" is a complex poem that has been interpreted in a variety of ways. One of the most compelling readings of the poem is as a pastoral elegy. The poem is characterized by its exploration of the beauty and simplicity of rural life, as well as its elegiac tone. 

“The Scholar Gipsy” as a Pastoral Elegy:

    The poem tells the story of a scholar who abandons his studies and joins a group of gypsies. The poem is characterized by its exploration of the beauty and simplicity of rural life. For example, Arnold writes,

"Sweet Auburn! Loveliest village of the plain,

Where health and plenty cheered the labouring swain,

Where smiling spring its earliest visit paid,

And parting summer's lingering blooms delayed."

The use of vivid imagery and the reference to the "labouring swain" create a sense of the beauty and simplicity of rural life.

    However, the poem is also characterized by its elegiac tone. The scholar is described as having "vanished from the earth," and the poem is a meditation on the transience of life and the inevitability of change. For example, Arnold writes,

"Haply, some hoary-headed swain may say,

'Oft have we seen him at the peep of dawn

Brushing with hasty steps the dews away

To meet the sun upon the upland lawn."

The use of the past tense and the reference to the "hoary-headed swain" create a sense of loss and mourning for the scholar who has vanished from the earth.

    The poem is also characterized by its exploration of the relationship between man and nature. The scholar is described as having found "a life in the sun," and the poem is a meditation on the power and majesty of nature. For example, Arnold writes,

"And still he kept his tutor's lore in mind,

And as he wandered underneath the trees,

He heard the birds their morning carols sing,

And heeded not the song of other birds,

When Diomedes with his roving herd

Through the thick coppice forced a crashing way."

The use of vivid imagery and the reference to the "morning carols" of the birds create a sense of the power and majesty of nature.

    However, the poem is also a reflection on the loss of a sense of purpose and meaning in life. The scholar is described as having abandoned his studies and joined the gypsies, and the poem is a meditation on the search for meaning and purpose in life. For example, Arnold writes,

"And still the scholar, in his midnight watch,

Gazed at the stars, and still he read, and still

In the high forest, where he heard the cry

Of the wild peacock, echoing loud and shrill,

He woke, and listened, and then again slept on,

And dreamed of human love and life below,

And all that was and is, and ever shall be so."

 

The use of vivid imagery and the reference to the "wild peacock" create a sense of the scholar's search for meaning and purpose in life.

    In conclusion, "The Scholar Gipsy" is a complex poem that can be read as a pastoral elegy. The poem is characterized by its exploration of the beauty and simplicity of rural life, as well as its elegiac tone. The poem is also a meditation on the power and majesty of nature and the search for meaning and purpose in life. Arnold's poetry continues to be celebrated today as some of the greatest examples of Victorian poetry, and "The Scholar Gipsy" is a prime example of his mastery of the pastoral elegy.