Ben Gilkes
Tichborne’s elegy
Charles Tichborne himself wrote Tichborne’s elegy, in the tower before his execution. The poem reflects his feeling that he has lived a life but it has been useless, as fate had always intended him to die this way.
In the first stanza he compares his attributes to many bad things in his world “my prime of youth is but a frost of cares,” this line illustrates that he should have been enjoying his life now rather than worrying about his death. “My crop of corn is but a field of tares” shows that he feels he has been given life but it is useless to everyone. “And all my good is but vain hope of gain” gives you an idea about how Tichborne feels that fate is pushing down on him, and anything he tries to improve his life fails.