The Bard: A Pindaric Ode by Thomas Gray | Structure, Summary, Analysis
Hello and welcome to the Discourse. The Bard a Pindaric Ode is a long poem by Thomas Gray that was first published in 1757. The poem is set in the historical era of Edward I who was the king of England from 1272-1307. The poem reimagines the history of Edward I’s conquest of Wales. Thomas Gray was researching medieval history and literature and he discovered the Welsh Harp Music that inspired him. Thomas Gray learned that when Edward I conquered Wales, he is said to have hanged up all their Bards, because they encouraged the Nation to rebel, but their works still remain. The poem was written in response to an event that took place in 1746 when a group of Welsh rebels led by the adventurer Charles Edward Stuart (also known as Bonnie Prince Charlie) attempted to overthrow the English government and restore the Stuart dynasty to the throne.
The simple meaning of bard is a poet. When Edward I marches with his victorious army towards the Snowdonian mountains near to the river Conwy, he encounters a Bard who curses the king for his atrocities.
Structure of The Bard a Pindaric Ode:
Thomas Gray chose a complex and highly structured form for this poem. He divided the poem into three parts and each part contains three stanzas of varying length (or number of lines). Thus, there are Nine stanzas in total and each stanza has a different rhyming scheme. Gray followed the Ancient Greek Pindaric ode form for this poem. Pindaric Odes were used to celebrate success in athletic or artistic competitions in ancient Greece. A Pindaric Ode traditionally contains three stanzas including a strophe, an antistrophe, and an epode. Each of the three parts of the poem contains a strophe, an antistrophe, and an epode.
Part 1 is the Introductory section consisting of 48 lines set in three stanzas.
1) The first two stanzas contain 14 lines each while the last stanza contains 20 lines.
2) The rhyming scheme of the first two stanzas is ABABCCDDEEFFGG.
3) The rhyme scheme of the third stanza from lines 29-41 is ABCBACDEEDFGFG and then it becomes irregular.
Part 2 contains 48 lines set in three stanzas.
1) The first two stanzas contain 14 lines each while the third stanza contains 20 lines.
2) The rhyme scheme of the first two stanzas is ABABCCDDEEFFGG.
3) The rhyme scheme of the third stanza is ABCBACDEEDFGFGHIHIJJ.
In this part, Thomas Gray offers The Vision of the Past. The first stanza, describes the historical events that led to the fall of the Welsh king and his ancestors, and the remaining parts describe the details of his doom and the new beginning of the Tudor Dynasty.
Part 3 contains 48 lines set in three stanzas again.
1) The first two stanzas contain 14 lines each while the third stanza contains 20 lines.
2) The rhyme scheme of the first two stanzas is ABABCCDDEFEFGG.
3) The rhyme scheme of the third stanza is ABCBACDEEFGHGHIJFJKK.
This part offers the Prophecy and Lament of the bard. The first two stanzas describe the prophecy of the bard and the fate of the English King as well as the result of his actions. The last stanza describes the lament of the bard for the loss of his people and the downfall of his culture.
Thomas Gray used a variety of literary devices in this poem to offer an effect of grandeur and tragedy including Apostrophe, Alliteration, Imagery, Metaphor, Personification, Repetition, Assonance, Hyperbole, Simile, Anaphora, Symbolism, and Irony.
Summary of The Bard a Pindaric Ode:
Stanza 1 Lines 1-14
“"Ruin seize thee, ruthless King!
Confusion on thy banners wait,
Tho' fann'd by Conquest's crimson wing
They mock the air with idle state.
Helm, nor hauberk's twisted mail,
Nor even thy virtues, tyrant, shall avail
To save thy secret soul from nightly fears,
From Cambria's curse, from Cambria's tears!"
Such were the sounds, that o'er the crested pride
Of the first Edward scatter'd wild dismay,
As down the steep of Snowdon's shaggy side
He wound with toilsome march his long array.
Stout Glo'ster stood aghast in speechless trance;
To arms! cried Mortimer, and couch'd his quiv'ring lance.”
The poet begins the poem with an Apostrophe as he addresses King Edward I who is not present and cannot answer back. The poet addresses the “ruthless King,” Edward I, in an accusatory and threatening tone and later calls him a “tyrant”. The narrator is the last surviving bard of Wales, who, in a fit of despair and anger, curses the English King Edward I and predicts his downfall. The first 14 lines of the poem set the scene and introduce the bard and how he curses the king. Gray used Imagery to depict the rugged and desolate landscape of Wales, with its misty mountains and roaring waterfalls. The “lofty” crags and “hollow” caves suggest the rugged and inhospitable terrain of Wales. The “crested pride” of Edward’s army is contrasted with the “shaggy side” of Snowdon which emphasizes the natural beauty of Wales.
The poet uses Metaphor to describe the futility of Edward I’s conquest of Wales. The banners that are “fanned by Conquest’s crimson wing” are said to “mock the air with idle state,” suggesting that their triumphs are ultimately meaningless and empty. ‘Conquest’s crimson wing’ is an example of Alliteration. The poet curses the ruthless king that he will be ruined and his dynasty and ancestors will go through many dark nights for his deeds. His flag (crimson wing), now flying, is stained with the blood of innocents. The King thinks that his victory has brought him an idle state that he can enjoy but the bard says that the king is doomed because of the curses and tears of the Cambrian people for the suffering he brought upon them. Gray used the Repetition of ‘Cambria’ in line 8.
The poet accuses that the King has done wrong by hanging the innocent bards and this curse will fructify. As the army comes down from “Snowdon’s shaggy side,” the bard’s curse becomes clearer. His father-in-law comes to hear the bard’s curse and is struck with fear and becomes speechless. The army captain senses something awful, calls the army, and takes his spear when he hears the bard’s curse. The first stanza clarifies the idea of the poem which depicts the conflict between the Welsh bards, who represent the spirit of Wales, and the English invaders, who seek to subjugate them.
Part 1 Stanza 2 Lines 15-28
“On a rock, whose haughty brow
Frowns o'er old Conway's foaming flood,
Rob'd in the sable garb of woe,
With haggard eyes the poet stood;
(Loose his beard, and hoary hair
Stream'd, like a meteor, to the troubled air)
And with a master's hand, and prophet's fire,
Struck the deep sorrows of his lyre;
"Hark, how each giant-oak, and desert cave,
Sighs to the torrent's awful voice beneath!
O'er thee, O King! their hundred arms they wave,
Revenge on thee in hoarser murmurs breathe;
Vocal no more, since Cambria's fatal day,
To high-born Hoel's harp, or soft Llewellyn's lay.”
In the second stanza, the poet describes the last surviving bard. He describes his attire as the bard is standing on a high rock, which he compares with a brow, and the Conway River flows beneath him. The bard is wearing a furry robe, and his eyes are exhausted after everything he experienced. His beard and hair are unruly and float like a meteor in “the troubled air.”
The bard pays his gratitude towards the “ master,” or the god, for saving his life and sings a poem about how the giant oak trees and caves disrespect the torrent’s voice. The bard curses the brutal king as he silences all the Cambrian bards, they will come back with a hundred arms to take revenge upon him. The bard accuses King Edward I of killing the innocent poet Hoel and the king of Wales, Llewellyn, and warns that the King’s end will also be extreme. The bard continues to curse and says that the resistance will not end as he hopes Wales rises against its conquerors, with the “maddening” sound of war drums and the “terrible array” of battle. The bard is confident of the ‘mighty chiefs’ of Wales who he says, will lead their people to victory and that the “fiends of hell” will join the battle on their side. The bard describes the Welsh people on the side of Good as they are fighting for their cultural and spiritual identity while the King’s army is Evil.
The poet used Imagery in this stanza to depict the bard and the situation. “On a rock, whose haughty brow,” “giant oak,” “desert cave,” and “torrent’s awful voice,” are examples of Imagery.
“Sighs to the torrent’s awful voice beneath” is an example of Assonance as the sound of ‘i’ is repeated. ‘Hundred arms’ of Giant Oak is hyperbole. “Stream’d, like a meteor, to the troubled air” is Simile comparing the bard’s hair to a meteor.
Part 1 Stanza 3 Lines 29-48
“"Cold is Cadwallo's tongue,
That hush'd the stormy main;
Brave Urien sleeps upon his craggy bed:
Mountains, ye mourn in vain
Modred, whose magic song
Made huge Plinlimmon bow his cloud-topp'd head.
On dreary Arvon's shore they lie,
Smear'd with gore, and ghastly pale:
Far, far aloof th' affrighted ravens sail;
The famish'd eagle screams, and passes by.
Dear lost companions of my tuneful art,
Dear, as the light that visits these sad eyes,
Dear, as the ruddy drops that warm my heart,
Ye died amidst your dying country's cries—
No more I weep. They do not sleep.
On yonder cliffs, a griesly band,
I see them sit, they linger yet,
Avengers of their native land:
With me in dreadful harmony they join,
And weave with bloody hands the tissue of thy line:—”
In this stanza, the last surviving bard is reminiscing about his fellow bards and how much potential they had. He first remembers Cadwallo, a talented poet who could stop the storm with his poetry. He recalls the brave poet Urien, who is now sleeping in the mountains. The mountains also mourn his death, but everything is in vain now.
He then remembers Modred, the magical poet who can make the highest mountain Plinlimmon, bow before him with his poetry. All these great poets are now lying on the shore of the river Avron. Their blood-stained bodies become pale, and even the crows are afraid to come near. The ravenous eagle also passes away without eating them.
The bard cries for his lost companions. However, he says that these three poets he mentioned, along with the other innocent bards executed by King Edward I, are not sleeping, and for that reason, he will not weep more. While the poets are dead as they have been murdered by the King’s soldiers, their work and the desire to struggle still survives. The remaining Welsh are still encouraged by those dead poet who are hungry to avenge against the brutal King Edward I for the massacre he did with the Cambrian bards. The stanza ends with the poet’s desire to join in this end game of King Edward I by weaving the death robe for those bloody hands.
“Mountains, ye mourn in vain” and “Dear lost companions of my tuneful art” are examples of Apostrophes, where the poet addresses the mountains and his deceased colleagues as if they were present and could hear him. Gray used the Personification of Mountains as they mourn. “Cold is Cladwallo’s tongue” and “Modred, whose magic song,” are examples of Alliteration.
The stage is set now. The strophe is sung, and the three stanzas within the group actually also follow the strophe-antistrophe-epode pattern within themselves.
Part 2 Stanza 1 Lines 49-62
“'Weave the warp, and weave the woof,
The winding sheet of Edward's race.
Give ample room, and verge enough
The characters of hell to trace.
Mark the year, and mark the night,
When Severn shall re-echo with affright
The shrieks of death, thro' Berkley's roofs that ring,
Shrieks of an agonising King!
She-Wolf of France, with unrelenting fangs,
That tear'st the bowels of thy mangled mate,
From thee be born, who o'er thy country hangs
The scourge of Heav'n. What terrors round him wait!
Amazement in his van, with Flight combin'd,
And Sorrow's faded form, and Solitude behind.”
In the first stanza of Part second, the poet offers a vivid and intense description and imagery of the downfall of Edward’s race that awaits him. In these lines, the bard spells out the horrors that await those who adopt cruel ways against the natural order. In the first line, the “warp” and “woof” refer to the threads used in weaving. Gray uses Symbolism here. The bard is weaving the “winding sheet” of Edward’s race, which means that he is symbolically preparing for their death.
The bard says to his audience to “give ample room, and verge enough” to the “characters of hell” which suggests the vast and overwhelming power of those who will judge and they will not have to be in a small space. The poet further urges the audience to “mark the year, and mark the night,” which suggests his confidence and a sense of urgency and foreboding. The bard gives a hint that something awfully terrible is about to happen and the audience must be ready to acknowledge it.
The bard then describes the “shrieks of death” that will echo through Berkley’s roofs as the death of the king approaches him. The use of the word “agonising” emphasizes the pain and suffering that the king will endure. He then mentions the “She-Wolf of France” and describes her as having “unrelenting fangs.” The wife of King Edward I is described as a predator. The Imagery of the She-Wolf tearing the bowels of her mate or the towers of Julius being fed with foul and midnight murder are very potent and disturbing. The bard curses that the ‘She-wolf’ will “give birth” to a son who will be the scourge of heaven or a punishment by the gods. The stanza ends with a description of the terrors that will surround this son. Amazement, flight, sorrow, and solitude will all be his companions. “Weave the warp, and weave the woof” is an example of Repetition. Thomas Gray used Metaphor to describe the impending downfall of the King’s dynasty, comparing it to a “winding sheet”. The poet Personifies Amazement, Flight, Sorrow, and Solitude and presents them as the living companions of the son of King Edward I.
Part 2 Stanza 2 Lines 63-76
“'Mighty victor, mighty lord,
Low on his funeral couch he lies!
No pitying heart, no eye, afford
A tear to grace his obsequies.
Is the Sable Warrior fled?
Thy son is gone. He rests among the dead.
The swarm, that in thy noon-tide beam were born?
Gone to salute the rising Morn.
Fair laughs the Morn, and soft the Zephyr blows,
While proudly riding o'er the azure realm
In gallant trim the gilded vessel goes;
Youth on the prow, and Pleasure at the helm;
Regardless of the sweeping Whirlwind's sway,
That, hush'd in grim repose, expects his evening prey.”
At the beginning of the second stanza of Part 2, Thomas Gray used Irony. The contrast between the King’s past glory and his current downfall is ironic. The bard is now prophecizing or cursing the harsh future of King Edward II who once was a ‘Mighty victor’, and a ‘mighty lord,’ now lies “low on his funeral couch he dies.” The bard continues to curse the Edward I race and says that Edward III, son of Edward II, will die before him and lie among the dead. Then the bard asks what happened with the people who were with the wealthy king and answers that those people have left to pay homage to the new King Richard II. The bard then offers a beautifully serene and scenic Imagery of a new ship proudly riding on the “azure” sea. On the front part of the ship, there is youth, and on the back, there is pleasure mingled up with each other to make the time better. The sea is very much calm, but in reality, it is violent. The bard says that while the ship is unable to look for danger in its silence, the sea is quietly waiting for its evening prey. It is an Allusion to the historic troubles that the Kingdom of England faced which include the Hundred Years’ War, peasant revolts, etc., which started in the reign of Richard II.
Part 2 Stanza 3 Lines 77-96
“'Fill high the sparkling bowl,
The rich repast prepare;
Reft of a crown, he yet may share the feast.
Close by the regal chair
Fell Thirst and Famine scowl
A baleful smile upon their baffled guest.
Heard ye the din of battle bray,
Lance to lance, and horse to horse?
Long years of havoc urge their destin'd course
And thro' the kindred squadrons mow their way.
Ye towers of Julius, London's lasting shame,
With many a foul and midnight murther fed,
Revere his consort's faith, his father's fame,
And spare the meek usurper's holy head.
Above, below, the rose of snow,
Twined with her blushing foe, we spread:
The bristled Boar in infant-gore
Wallows beneath the thorny shade.
Now, brothers, bending o'er th' accursed loom
Stamp we our vengeance deep, and ratify his doom.”
The bard continues to prophesize the future of Britain and the fate of the Welsh people. The bard asks to “fill high the sparkling bowl” to celebrate the defeat of an enemy of the Welsh people. Though it is not clear, it becomes apparent later that the defeat is of the English oppressors who have subdued the Welsh people. The bard then imagines the defeated king “Reft of a crown, he yet may share the feast.” Though he has lost his crown and power, he is still alive and present at the feast. The Bard mocks the fallen king by suggesting that he is now a guest at his table, forced to share in the revelry of his conquerors. The poet then personifies Thirst and Famine, who “scowl a baleful smile” at the defeated king. These are the two unwelcome guests at the feast. The poet then urges the audience to imagine “the din of battle bray, lance to lance, and horse to horse.” He then uses historical allusions to suggest violent conflicts in Britain. The “Towers of Julius” refers to the Tower of London, which was built by Julius Caesar and later became a symbol of oppression and tyranny. The “foul and midnight murder” refers to the many bloody events that have occurred within its walls. The Bard calls on the people of Britain to “revere” the English king’s “consort’s faith” and his “father’s fame,” suggesting that despite his defeat, the king is still worthy of respect. The bard then uses Symbolism. The “rose of snow” and “blushing foe” refer to the English rose and its red color. The “bristled Boar in infant gore” is a reference to the symbol of Wales and the bloody battle that has taken place between the two nations. The bard says that the English have been plotting against the Welsh people for a long and now is the time for the Welsh people to take revenge.
The second part is the poem's antistrophe, for it deepens and develops the situation set up in the poem's first section. Again, the three stanzas follow, to some extent, although not perfectly, the strophe-antistrophe-epode pattern in themselves.
Part 3 Stanza 1 Lines 97-110
“'Edward, lo! to sudden fate
(Weave we the woof. The thread is spun)
Half of thy heart we consecrate.
(The web is wove. The work is done.)'
Stay, oh stay! nor thus forlorn
Leave me unbless'd, unpitied, here to mourn!
In yon bright track, that fires the western skies!
They melt, they vanish from my eyes.
But oh! what solemn scenes on Snowdon's height
Descending slow their glitt'ring skirts unroll?
Visions of glory, spare my aching sight,
Ye unborn Ages, crowd not on my soul!
No more our long-lost Arthur we bewail.
All-hail, ye genuine kings, Britannia's issue, hail!”
In the first stanza of Part 3, the bard curses and prophesies the fate of the English soldiers who murdered innocent Welsh people. The bard addresses Edward I and says that the cloth is complete. The cloth the bards started weaving to write all the curses his family would face. The poet then asks The spirits of his fellow bards, who helped him to weave the cloth, not to leave him alone to mourn. Thomas Gray uses panoramic imagery to show the emotions of the bard. The spirits are fading away from his bright sight and vanishing in the western sky. The word “long-lost Arthur” signifies the belief of the Welsh people that the dead King Arthur of the Tudor Dynasty, will resurrect someday and conquer his land again.
Part 3 Stanza 2 Lines 111-124
“Girt with many a baron bold
Sublime their starry fronts they rear;
And gorgeous dames, and statesmen old
In bearded majesty appear.
In the midst a form divine!
Her eye proclaims her of the Briton-line;
Her lion-port, her awe-commanding face,
Attemper'd sweet to virgin-grace.
What strings symphonious tremble in the air,
What strings of vocal transport round her play!
Hear from the grave, great Taliessin, hear;
They breathe a soul to animate thy clay.
Bright Rapture calls, and soaring, as she sings,
Waves in the eye of Heav'n her many-colour'd wings.”
The poet describes the haunting music of the last surviving bard as he foretells the downfall of Edward I and the triumph of Welsh independence in this stanza which describes a scene of great pomp and ceremony as the Welsh bards gather to honor their fallen warrior prince. The Welsh people have arrived at the palace “girt with many a baron bold,” suggesting that powerful and influential men surround them. The bard wonderfully describes these Welsh people as they have “starry fronts” and “gorgeous dames” and “statesmen old” surrounding them. The bard then depicts the rise of a ‘form divine,’ a representation of Queen Elizabeth I, who is believed to have descended from the Welsh royal line of Cadwaladr. The divine lady is also a symbol of the rise of the Tudor dynasty. Thomas Gray describes the accompanying beautiful music in the following lines. Bright Rapture” soaring and waving her “many-colour’d wings” suggests a sense of spiritual ecstasy, as though the music is capable of lifting the soul to new heights. The poem is heading towards a positive end in the future of the last surviving bard and thus it works as an Epode.
Part 3 Stanza 3 Lines 115-134
“The verse adorn again
Fierce War, and faithful Love,
And Truth severe, by fairy Fiction drest.
In buskin'd measures move
Pale Grief, and pleasing Pain,
With Horror, tyrant of the throbbing breast.
A voice, as of the cherub-choir,
Gales from blooming Eden bear;
And distant warblings lessen on my ear,
That lost in long futurity expire.
Fond impious man, think'st thou, yon sanguine cloud,
Rais'd by thy breath, has quench'd the orb of day?
To-morrow he repairs the golden flood,
And warms the nations with redoubled ray.
Enough for me: with joy I see
The different doom our Fates assign.
Be thine Despair, and scept'red Care,
To triumph, and to die, are mine."
He spoke, and headlong from the mountain's height
Deep in the roaring tide he plung'd to endless night.”
The third stanza is a monologue of the bard as he prophesizes the future of the Welsh people and his nation. He then ends his speech and informs about the dramatic suicide that he has planned. King Edward I hanged the poets and artists but the bard describes the power of poetry to “adorn again,” i.e., the poetry will win again and will be everywhere in the themes of war, love, truth, grief, pain, and horror. Thomas Gray again employs Allusions as the bard mentions a line from Spenser’s The Faerie Queene’(“Fierce wars and faithful loves shall moralize my song”[l. 9]). He again alludes to Shakespeare in the line “Pale Grief, and pleasing Pain….”. The bard describes music as being capable of summoning the “voice of the cherub choir” and bringing the distant warblings of the past to life.
The bard says that the music carries the sounds of Eden which means that music has the power to transport the listener to a higher realm of spiritual awareness. Thomas Gray then alludes to John Milton as the bard talks about a man who will convey the voice of God. He is actually alluding to the “Eden Garden” episode of Milton’s “Paradise Lost.”
The bard then addresses Edward I as a “fond impious man,” suggesting that humans often fail to understand the true power and significance of the world around them. He says that the brutal king may think that he killed all the bards and all the poetry, but he is wrong. The bard then says that everyone will be doomed in their assigned way and then he jumps from the cliff into the river.
So this is it for today. We will continue to discuss the history of English literature. Please stay connected with the Discourse. Thanks and Regards!
