The Thomas Gray Archive

This part of the Primary Texts section contains Gray's complete poetry. The English poems are organized by date, title, and genre. The three groups are indexed by titles and first lines. The first group is subdivided into an anthumous and a posthumous section. While the former section comprises the poems of the standard 1768 edition in the order suggested by Gray himself, and four more poems published during Gray's lifetime (as identified by [S/H_1966] Starr/Hendrickson), the latter contains all of Gray's posthumous poems. The second group is arranged alphabetically by title, the third group lists the poems ordered by genre. Gray's Latin poetry is organized alphabetically by title and indexed by titles and first lines. Archive users can access or contribute to the collaborative commentary by selecting a text, and by defining the passage of interest. The reference system is that of line and word numbers. The commentary databases currently list 3510 variants, notes, and queries for the 75 texts. Please see this Help Desk section for more information.

English poems
Latin poems
Greek poems

English poems (by date)

Anthumous Poems

Titles (first ten sorted as in 1768)

First Lines (sorted alphabetically)

Posthumous Poems

Titles (sorted alphabetically)

First Lines (sorted alphabetically)

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English poems (by title)

All Poems

Titles (sorted alphabetically)

First Lines (sorted alphabetically)

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English poems (by genre)

Lyric and dramatic poems Titles (sorted alphabetically) Agrippina, a Tragedy [The Alliance of Education and Government. A Fragment] "The Bard. A Pindaric Ode" "[Couplet about Birds]" "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" "[Epitaph on a Child]" "[Epitaph on Mrs Clerke]" "[Epitaph on Mrs Mason]" "[Epitaph on Sir William Williams]" "[Lines on Beech Trees]" "Ode for Music" "Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College" "[Ode on the Pleasure Arising from Vicissitude]" "Ode on the Spring" "Ode to Adversity" "The Progress of Poesy. A Pindaric Ode" "Song I" "Song II" "Sonnet [on the Death of Mr Richard West]" "Stanzas to Mr Bentley"	First Lines (sorted alphabetically) And, as they bow their hoary tops, relate As sickly plants betray a niggard earth, Awake, Aeolian lyre, awake, Daughter of Jove, relentless power, "Hence, avaunt, ('tis holy ground) Here, foremost in the dangerous paths of fame, Here, freed from pain, secure from misery, lies In silent gaze the tuneful choir among, In vain to me the smiling mornings shine, Lo! where the rosy-bosomed Hours, Lo! where this silent marble weeps, 'Midst beauty and pleasure's gay triumphs, to languish Now the golden Morn aloft `Ruin seize thee, ruthless king! Tell them, though 'tis an awful thing to die The curfew tolls the knell of parting day, There pipes the woodlark, and the song-thrush there Thyrsis, when we parted, swore 'Tis well, begone! your errand is performed. Ye distant spires, ye antique towers,
Humorous and satirical poems Titles (sorted alphabetically) "The Candidate" "[Hymn to Ignorance. A Fragment]" [Impromptus] "[Invitation to Mason]" "[Lines on Dr Robert Smith]" "[Lines Spoken by the Ghost of John Dennis at the Devil Tavern]" "A Long Story" "Ode on the Death of a Favourite Cat, Drowned in a Tub of Gold Fishes" "On L[or]d H[olland']s Seat near M[argat]e, K[en]t" "[Parody on an Epitaph]" "Satire on the Heads of Houses; or, Never a Barrel the Better Herring" "[Sketch of his Own Character]" "[Tophet]" "William Shakespeare to Mrs Anne, Regular Servant to the Revd Mr Precentor of York"	First Lines (sorted alphabetically) A moment's patience, gentle Mistress Anne! Do you ask why old Focus Silvanus defies, From purling streams and the Elysian scene, Hail, horrors, hail! ye ever-gloomy bowers, In Britain's isle, no matter where, Now clean, now hideous, mellow now, now gruff, O Cambridge, attend Old and abandoned by each venal friend, Prim Hurd attends your call and Palgrave proud, Such Tophet was; so looked the grinning fiend The Bishop of Chester Too poor for a bribe and too proud to importune, 'Twas on a lofty vase's side, When sly Jemmy Twitcher had smugged up his face
Imitations and translations Titles (sorted alphabetically) "[Caradoc]" "[Conan]" "[The Death of Hoel]" "The Descent of Odin. An Ode" "The Fatal Sisters. An Ode" "[Imitated] From Propertius. Lib: 2: Eleg: 1." "Imitated from Propertius, Lib: 3: Eleg: 5:" "[Translation from Dante, Inferno Canto xxxiii 1-78]" "[Translation from Statius, Thebaid VI 646-88, 704-24]" "[Translation from Statius, Thebaid IX 319-26]" "[Translation] From Tasso [Gerusalemme Liberata] Canto, 14, Stanza, 32." "The Triumphs of Owen. A Fragment"	First Lines (sorted alphabetically) Conan's name, my lay, rehearse, Crenaeus, whom the nymph Ismenis bore Dismissed at length, they break through all delay From his dire food the grisly felon raised Had I but the torrent's might, Have ye seen the tusky boar, Love, gentle power, to peace was e'er a friend: Now the storm begins to lower, Owen's praise demands my song, Then thus the king: `Whoe'er the quoit can wield, Uprose the King of Men with speed, You ask why thus my loves I still rehearse,
Poems of doubtful authenticity Titles (sorted alphabetically) "The Characters of the Christ-Cross Row, By a Critic, To Mrs ---" "Lines on the Accession of George III" [Verse Fragments]	First Lines (sorted alphabetically) Gratitude Great D draws near- the Duchess sure is come, The Old One's dead,

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Latin poems

All Poems

Titles (sorted alphabetically)

First Lines (sorted alphabetically)

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Greek poems

All Poems

Titles (sorted alphabetically)

"Inscription for a Wood in a Park"

First Lines (sorted alphabetically)

Ἁζόμενος πολύθηρον ἑκηβόλου ἄλσος Ἀνάσσας,