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.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

38 sec read
139

Quick analysis:

Scheme AabbccddefgghhaA
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 679
Words 128
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 16

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

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