Lines from the Deserted Village (Summary)

In this poem Oliver Goldsmith praises his native village, Auburn. He calls it happy time of his age. The villagers were very wealthy and cheerful. It was a fine village where the spring came earlier and which had long summer. The villagers were simple fold and led a very contented life. The poet had spent his youth in this village. He therefore can not forget its charms. He remembers that there were green fields where he wandered, the mill, the stream and the church. He remembers that there were shady places for taking rest and enjoying chatting. On holidays villagers enjoy different games. On such occasions many feats of skill and strength were also shown. While the young men took active part in these games and the old men watched them. The dancing couples performed dances. Sometimes they played a trick on some young farmer. They would smear his face with mud or blacken. That provided a lot of fun to the whole company. Sometimes a shy girl looked secretly at her lover. Then her mother would reprove her daughter for her attitude. Such were the pleasures of his native village which has been ruined. In the end the poet says that the villages are back bone of country. If they are destroyed once they can never be created again.