Analysis of Epitaph. (On a Commonplace Person Who Died in Bed)

Amy Levy 1861 (London) – 1889 (London)



THIS is the end of him, here he lies:
  The dust in his throat, the worm in his eyes,
  The mould in his mouth, the turf on his breast;
  This is the end of him, this is best.
  He will never lie on his couch awake,
  Wide-eyed, tearless, till dim daybreak.
  Never again will he smile and smile
  When his heart is breaking all the while.
  He will never stretch out his hands in vain
  Groping and groping--never again.
  Never ask for bread, get a stone instead,
  Never pretend that the stone is bread.
  Never sway and sway 'twixt the false and true,
  Weighing and noting the long hours through.
  Never ache and ache with chok'd-up sighs;
  This is the end of him, here he lies.


Scheme AabbccddefgghhaA
Poetic Form
Metre 110111111 0101101011 0101101111 110111111 1110111101 111111 100111101 111110101 1110111101 100101001 1011110101 100110111 1010110101 1001001101 101011111 110111111
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 679
Words 128
Sentences 8
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 16
Lines Amount 16
Letters per line (avg) 31
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 502
Words per stanza (avg) 126
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

38 sec read
141

Amy Levy

Amy Levy was a British essayist, poet, and novelist best remembered for her feminist positions and her homosexual romances during the Victorian era. more…

All Amy Levy poems | Amy Levy Books

0 fans

Discuss this Amy Levy poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Epitaph. (On a Commonplace Person Who Died in Bed)" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/2123/epitaph.-%28on-a-commonplace-person-who-died-in-bed%29>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    2
    days
    9
    hours
    30
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    How many sonnets did William Shakespeare wrote during his life?
    A 5
    B 154
    C 2
    D 101