Epitaph poem
An epitaph poem is a brief verse or prose poem written in memory of someone who has died, traditionally inscribed on tombstones. The term "epitaph" originates from the ancient Greek word meaning "at a tomb." These poems often reflect a range of emotions, from loving tributes to humorous or satirical remarks, and may highlight key aspects of the deceased's life and achievements. Throughout history, various cultures have used epitaph poetry to memorialize the dead, with roots in early Chinese and Arabic poetry, as well as in ancient Greek literature. Notable poets like Horace and Ben Jonson have contributed to this genre, often intertwining personal grief with broader themes of life and death. While the popularity of epitaph poems has waned in recent times, they continue to inspire contemporary poets who explore themes of remembrance and legacy. This poetic form serves both as a literal commemoration and a literary device, allowing for deep reflections on mortality and the human experience.
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Epitaph poem
Epitaphs are short verse or prose poems written in remembrance of someone who has died. Originally, epitaph poems were inscribed on a deceased person’s tombstone. The word “epitaph” comes from the ancient Greek word epitaphios, meaning “at a tomb.” Usually written in a loving tone, though sometimes comical or satirical, epitaph poems often contain brief highlights of a person’s life and accomplishments. Some people choose their own epitaph before they die. For example, Jonathan Swift (1667–1745) composed his own epitaph, along with detailed instructions for his burial. In addition to its literal application, an epitaph is a literary device used in lyric poetry.
Overview
Throughout history, many cultures have memorialized the dead through a form of epitaph poetry. In early Chinese poetry, one of the primary aims of the epitaph poem was to evoke the presence of the deceased person. Early Arabic epitaph poems were written in a classical meter and often included historical information about the dead in addition to instructions for the living.
In the Western tradition, epitaph poems appeared in Greek literature as early as the seventh century BCE. These epitaphs expressed a variety of attitudes toward the dead, with tones that could be witty, humorous, satiric, or somber. They might encourage people to enjoy life, warn of the inevitability of death, request remembrance of the dead, or encourage people to emulate the life of the deceased. The Roman poets Horace (65–8 BCE) and Sextus Propertius (ca. 57–ca. 16 BCE) adopted the use of the epitaph, transforming it from a genre of poetry into a literary device. These poets composed fictional epitaphs that they included in longer lyric poems.
Medieval Christian epitaph poems often contained a universal declaration on the afterlife and an invitation for prayer. Later, Renaissance poets returned the focus of the epitaph to mourning the lives of specific individuals. The famous Renaissance poet Ben Jonson (1572–1637) wrote the epitaph poems “On My First Daughter” and “On My First Son” for his children after they died at a young age. These poems, which were published in his 1616 collection The Workes of Benjamin Jonson, pay tribute to the deceased while also processing loss and meditating on the meaning of parenthood.
Eighteenth- and nineteenth-century English poets implemented the epitaph as both a literary genre and a lyric device. William Wordsworth (1770–1850) was one of the most famous poets to use and theorize about epitaphic forms. In addition to composing epitaphs and employing their motifs in his poetry, he wrote essays analyzing the use of this poetic form throughout history. English poets also wrote epitaph poems for animals, such as William Cowper’s “Epitaph on a Hare” (1784).
In the twentieth century, epitaph poems generally began to fade as an art form. However, poets continue to explore humanity’s inclination toward remembrance in the epitaph form. New forms of literature have also emerged from the genre. In 1915, American poet Edgar Lee Masters (1868–1950) published Spoon River Anthology, a collection of fictional epitaphs that portray the lives of hundreds of residents of a small town. Contemporary poet Anne Carson (b. 1950) appropriated Greek epitaphs in her book Men in the Off Hours (2000).
Bibliography
Clarke, Catherine A. M. Writing Power in Anglo-Saxon England: Texts, Hierarchies, Economies. Woodbridge: Brewer-Boydell, 2012. Print.
Depew, Bradley. “Wordsworth on Epitaph: Language, Genre, Mortality.” ELH: English Literary History 79.4 (2012): 963–88. Print.
Grigson, Geoffrey, ed. The Faber Book of Epigrams and Epitaphs. 1977. London: Faber, 2008. Print.
Mills-Courts, Karen. Poetry as Epitaph: Representation and Poetic Language. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State UP, 1990. Print.
Parisot, Eric. Graveyard Poetry: Religion, Aesthetics and the Mid-Eighteenth-Century Poetic Condition. Farnham: Ashgate, 2013. Print.
Petrucci, Armando. Writing the Dead: Death and Writing Strategies in the Western Tradition. Trans. Michael Sullivan. Stanford: Stanford UP, 1998. Print.
Williams, Claire Bryony. “Manuscript, Monument, Memory: The Circulation of Epitaphs in the 17th Century.” Literature Compass 11.8 (2014): 573–82. Web. 25 Sept. 2014.
Wolfe, Michael, trans. Cut These Words into My Stone: Ancient Greek Epitaphs. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 2013. Print.