s, sheep, cornfields, poppies, and wildflowers. These are all pastoral elements.
Nature Brings Back Memories: Arnold uses pastoral elements like trees, hills, flowers, fields, and the River Thames in his elegy “Thyrsis” (1865). In this poem, the poet mourns the death of his friend Arthur Hugh Clough. Here, nature is not just a decoration. It brings back memories of the past. The poet remembers how he and Clough enjoyed the peaceful countryside together. They enjoyed hearing sheep bells and watching mowers cutting grass. But now, everything has changed. He writes:
“Where are the mowers…?
They all are gone, and thou art gone as well!”
These lines show how nature itself reminds the poet of the loss of his friend.
Nature as a Symbol: Arnold also uses pastoral elements as symbols in his poems. Nature stands for memory, hope, and purity. In “Thyrsis,” the elm tree on the hill becomes a symbol of hope and the memory of Clough. The poet and his friend spent happy days in nature. They used to enjoy the beauty of the elm tree together. Now the poet’s friend is no more. So, the elm tree brings back the memory of him. When the poet sees the elm tree, he feels hope again. Even though people and nature change, the tree still stands on the hill. He imagines that Clough is saying:
“Our tree yet crowns the hill.”
This shows that the elm tree gives hope to the poet. Moreover, in “The Scholar Gipsy,” nature becomes a symbol of purity, away from the busy modern life.
Pastoral Elements vs. Modern Life: Arnold uses pastoral scenes to show the difference between nature and the busy, restless modern life. In “The Scholar Gipsy,” modern people are shown as tired and confused. But the Scholar Gipsy left the busy modern life to live in close contact with nature. He left Oxford to live among the gipsies. Nature provides purity, peace, and deep spiritual knowledge for him, and he wants to find all these. The poet imagines the Scholar Gipsy is still wandering the fields. He is
“Waiting for the spark from heaven to fall.”
This suggests that we can find deep spiritual knowledge in nature.
In conclusion, pastoral elements create a peaceful pastoral world in Arnold’s poetry. Here, the fields, hills, rivers, shepherds, trees, flowers, and village life express sadness, memory, and hope. The pastoral scenes help Arnold to contrast nature’s purity with modern restlessness. Through these pastoral elements, Arnold teaches us that nature is a calm and pure place where we can find strength, peace, and the light of truth.
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