Beneath those rugged elms, that yew-tree’s shade Where heaves the turf in many a mouldering heap, Each in his narrow cell for ever laid,

Question

Explain  the  passages with reference to the context :

Beneath those rugged elms, that yew-tree’s shade Where heaves the turf in many a mouldering heap, Each in his narrow cell for ever laid, The rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep.

Answer 1

Context : The poet is sitting in a country churchyard in the evening. It will soon become dark and the poet will be left alone there. The poet is reminded that nothing in life is everlasting and death comes to all. 

Explanation : In this stanza the poet thinks about the small graves and the dead bodies buried there. He says that some graves are under the elm trees and some are in the shade of yew trees. There is dry grass everywhere in the grave yard. The graves are like the heaps of earth and they are very narrow. Poor and uncivilized common people of the village are lying buried in these graves and they will never wake up.