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What is an epitaph in literature?
Why is Epitaph poetry important?
What is an epitaph obituary written on a tombstone?
Why do we write an epitaph on a grave?
An epitaph is a short lyric written in memory of someone who has died. Sometimes, epitaphs serve as elegies. These tributes are usually quite brief and may be written by anyone. The writer might be someone close to the deceased, like a family member, or even the deceased themselves.
An epitaph is a poem that mourns someone’s death, usually intended to appear on that person’s tombstone. Although epitaphs are usually serious, it’s also possible for a rhyming epitaph to tell a funny story in a very short way. Often a funny epitaph is only four lines long.
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Epitaph by Emily Dickinson This short epitaph poem by Emily Dickinson is known as the best epitaph poem. It first appeared in 1896 and since then has become the best epitaph poem due to being very short, very direct, and metaphorical. The poem comprises just two stanzas with each having four lines. The metaphor for the narrow spot is the grave of t...
EpitaphOn A Child This beautiful six-lined poem by Thomas Gray wins the second position among the best epitaph poems. It is because it has packed in just six lines what other poems could not state or describe in several stanzas. The pome is written in heroic couplet shape with AABBCC rhyme scheme and iambic pentameter that has enhanced its beauty a...
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyardby Thomas Gray? Comprising three stanzas and given at the end of the poem as an Epitaph, this poem shows the qualities of the best poetry written for tombstones with such intentions. Although it is counted as the best epitaph poetic composition, it has achieved a great place in poetry. These three quatrains are ...
Epitaph on William Muir by Robert Burns Written by William Burns, this beautiful poem starts with the praise of a colonial administrator, William Muir, who happened to work as a governor and administrator in colonial India. With the lofty words used for the administrator after his death, the poem is ranked fourth. The poem shows the use of heroic c...
Epitaph in Bookish Styleby Ben Franklin Although it is not as poignant and lugubrious, this epitaph written by the founding father of the United States, Benjamin Franklin is an interesting read and is included among the best epitaph poems. In free verse, this epitaph poem shows the death of a book, its current condition, its everlasting impact, and...
Requiem by Robert Louis Stevenson This short poem by Stevenson comprises just two stanzas with each having four lines. Although this is not an actual epitaph that should express regret, it is a self-created pre-death epitaph rather. It is because it is a requiem and that too written by the poet himself. Its unique poetic language has made this poem...
An Epitaph on a Robin-Redbreast by Samuel Rogers This twelve-lined poem by Samuel Rogers, an English poet, shows the regret, sorrow, and mourning of the poet over the death of robin redbreast. As the poet has clearly stated in the title of the poem that it is an epitaph, therefore it should be taken as that genre. The advice to the companion that h...
Epitaphon an Infant by Richard Coe Written by Richard Coe, this epitaph poem questions the death of an infant which has been considered a point of philosophical polemicsregarding theological condemnation or redemption as the child has little time to spend in this world. Therefore, this poem has been ranked among the best epitaph poems. The poem is ...
The Universal Epitaph by John Clare This short epitaph poem by John Clare, an English poet, is unique and interesting in that it not only talks about the poet’s wish to have an epitaph on his grave but also that it should have clarity about his past achievements as well as sins. The poet is not living in a fool’s paradise his life. With just eight ...
The Knight’s Epitaph by William Cullen Bryant This rhymeless and free verse poem shows Bryant’s poetic craft of epitaph writing. Therefore, the poem is also known as one of the best epitaph poetic pieces. However, this epitaph is somewhat different as it shows the speaker seeing himself on the lid of the vault. The architectural jargon has rather g...
- Oscar Wilde’s Epitaph. Wilde’s epitaph is inscribed on his gravestone in a very sentimental verse. It reads: “And alien tears will fill for him,
- Robert Frost’s Epitaph. Robert Frost wrote his epitaph a few years prior to his death. He took the last lines from the poem The Lesson for Today, which read as
- William Butler Yeats’ Epitaph. Yeats in penned his epitaph, which reads: “Cast a cold Eye. On Life, on Death. Horseman, pass by!” It seems that he is giving advice to his readers to not hang back over his corpse for a very long time, nevertheless the words have rather deep meaning.
- William Shakespeare’s Epitaph. “Good friend for Jesus’ sake forebeare, To dig the dust enclosed here. Blessed be the man that spares these stones,
Epitaph poetry is a poignant art form connecting the essence of life and the inevitability of death, encapsulated through verse or prose. It reflects on memory and legacy traversing historical and linguistic landscapes from ancient Greek and Roman practices to contemporary interpretations.
Examples of Epitaphs and a list of new poems in the correct poetic form and technique. Share and read short, long, best, and famous Epitaph poetry while accessing rules, format, types, and a comprehensive literary definition of an Epitaph.
Definition of Epitaph. In literature, an epitaph is a short written tribute in poetry or prose in memory of a deceased person. The more common definition of epitaph is that of the inscription on a tombstone. Epitaphs may be written by anyone, including the deceased person him- or herself, in preparation for an impending death.
