The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power,
And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave,
Awaits alike th' inevitable hour:
The paths of glory lead but to the grave.
These lines have been taken from "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" composed by Thomas Gray, an eighteenth century poet. These lines suggest the universal truth that death is the end of all worldly achievements, and therefore, it is meaningless to take pride in them. Here is a criticism of the proud people of the world.
These lines refer to the people who exist to the opposite pole of the humble rustic villagers. There are lucky people who have long history of aristocracy, who have state power to exercise, who have beautiful appearance and plenty of wealth. Usually these people forget that they have to die, leaving behind all these worldly sources of pride. The poet, in a tone of criticism, reminds them that death equalises the powerful and the powerless, the beautiful and the ugly, the rich and the poor. So, there is nothing to be proud of all the worldly sources of luxury and comfort. The poet indicates that the poor unknown villagers buried in the country churchyard should not be ignored for not having aristocracy, power, beauty and wealth because these lucky privileged people also have to die ultimately. Then, there will be no difference between these two classes of people. It is clear that the poet has glorified the rustic villagers by reminding a universal truth.
