An Epitaph by Walter de la Mare

An Epitaph by Walter de la Mare

  Here lies a most beautiful lady:

Light of step and heart was she;

I think she was the most beautiful lady

That ever was in the West Country.

But beauty vanishes; beauty passes;

However rare—rare it be;

And when I crumble, who will remember

This lady of the West Country?

INTRODUCTION –

An epitaph is a short memoir poem written by the English poet Walter de la Mare. It consists of only eight lines. Here, the poem remembers a beautiful lady who was quite famous during her lifetime, but no one remembers her other than the poet after her death.

POET –

Walter de la Mare (25 April 1873 – 22 June 1956) was an English poet, novelist, and short-story writer. He is best known for his children's stories. His famous works include Seaton’s Aunt, The Listeners, and All Hallows.

SUMMARY –

LINES 1 TO 4 – 

The poet states that here in this grave lies a lovely lady who was carefree and sweet. She didn’t worry about a single thing. The poet considers her to be the most beautiful lady ever born in the West Country, i.e., England.

LINES 5 TO 8 –

However, in the next lines, the poet tells us how everything fades away with time, including beauty, however unique it is. The beauty of this lady, too, faded away, and she no longer remained the same. With time, everyone forgot her except the poet. In the last lines, the poet worries that he will remember the lady buried here, the most beautiful lady in the world, when he will die.

THEMES – 

• Death – The poet describes how everything in this world has an end. Even the lady whose beauty is unmatched could not escape death.
• Effect of time – The poet describes how no one can escape the wrath of time. Every object, however beautiful it may be, loses its glory with time.

END –

Hence, we can say that it is a memoir poem. It shows the poet’s love for the beautiful lady, the effect of time, and how easily everyone forgot the dead lady.