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An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves before their death, while others are chosen by those responsible for the burial. An epitaph may be written in
prose Prose is language that follows the natural flow or rhythm of speech, ordinary grammatical structures, or, in writing, typical conventions and formatting. Thus, prose ranges from informal speaking to formal academic writing. Prose differs most n ...
or in poem verse. Most epitaphs are brief records of the family, and perhaps the career, of the deceased, often with a common expression of love or respect—for example, "beloved father of ..."—but others are more ambitious. From the
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
to the 19th century in Western culture, epitaphs for notable people became increasingly lengthy and pompous descriptions of their family origins, career, virtues and immediate family, often in Latin. Notably, the Laudatio Turiae, the longest known
Ancient Roman In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of Rome, founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, collapse of the Western Roman Em ...
epitaph, exceeds almost all of these at 180 lines; it celebrates the virtues of an honored wife (sometimes identified, but not generally accepted, as the Wife of
consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states thro ...
Quintus Lucretius Vespillo). Some are quotes from holy texts, or
aphorisms An aphorism (from Greek ἀφορισμός: ''aphorismos'', denoting 'delimitation', 'distinction', and 'definition') is a concise, terse, laconic, or memorable expression of a general truth or principle. Aphorisms are often handed down by tra ...
. One approach of many epitaphs is to "speak" to the reader and warn them about their own mortality. A wry trick of others is to request the reader to get off their resting place, inasmuch as the reader would have to be standing on the ground above the coffin to read the inscription. Some record achievements (e.g., past politicians note the years of their terms of office). Nearly all (excepting those where this is impossible by definition, such as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier) note name, year or date of birth, and date of death. Many list family members and the relationship of the deceased to them (for example, "Father / Mother / Son / Daughter of").


Linguistic distinctions

In English, and in accordance with the word's etymology, the word "epitaph" refers to a ''textual'' commemoration of a person, which may or may not be inscribed on a monument. In many European languages, however, the meaning of the word (or its close equivalent) has broadened to mean the monument itself, specifically a mural monument or plaque erected in a church, often close to, but not directly over, a person's place of burial. Examples include German '' Epitaph''; Dutch '' epitaaf''; Hungarian '' epitáfium''; Polish '' epitafium''; Danish '' epitafium''; Swedish '' epitafium''; and Estonian '' epitaaf''.


History

The history of epitaphs extends as far back as the
ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt () was a cradle of civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in Northeast Africa. It emerged from prehistoric Egypt around 3150BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology), when Upper and Lower E ...
ians and have differed in delivery. The
ancient Greeks Ancient Greece () was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity (), that comprised a loose collection of culturally and linguistically re ...
utilised emotive expression, written in elegiac verse, later in prose.
Ancient Romans The Roman people was the ethnicity and the body of Roman citizenship, Roman citizens (; ) during the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic, and the Roman Empire. This concept underwent considerable changes throughout the long history of the Roman ...
' use of epitaphs was more blunt and uniform, typically detailing facts of the deceased – as did the earliest epitaphs in English churches. "May the earth lie light upon thee" was a common inscription for them. Due to the influence of Roman occupiers, the dominant language of epitaphs was Latin, evidenced by the oldest existing epitaphs in Britain. French and English came into fashion around the 13th and 14th centuries, respectively. By the 16th century, epitaphs had become more literary in nature and those written in verse were involved in trade. In America and Britain, comedic epitaphs are common in the form of acrostics, palindromes, riddles, and puns on names and professions –
Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the List of national poets, national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the be ...
, the most prolific pre-Romantic epitaphist, wrote 35 pieces, them being largely satirical. The rate of literary epitaphs has been historically overshadowed by "popular sepulchral inscriptions which are produced in countless numbers at all time"; "strictly literary" epitaphs were most present during the start of the Romantic period. The Lake Poets have been credited with providing success to epitaph-writing adjacent to that of poetry significance – Robert Southey, in focusing simultaneously upon transience and eternity, contributed substantially. General interest for epitaphs was waning at the cusp of the 19th century, in contrast to a considerable burgeoning intellectual interest. Critical essays had been published before on the matter, possibly contributing towards its flourishing in the latter half of the 18th century. Epitaphs never became a major poetic form and, according to Romantic scholar Ernest Bernhardt-Kabisch, they had "virtually disappeared" by 1810. "The art of the epitaph was largely lost in the 20th century", wrote the ''
Encyclopedia Britannica An encyclopedia is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge, either general or special, in a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into article (publishing), articles or entries that are arranged Alp ...
''.


Format

Sarcophagi and coffins were the choice of ancient Egyptians for epitaphs; brasses was the prominent format for a significant period of time. Epitaphs upon stone monuments became a common feature by the
Elizabethan era The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The Roman symbol of Britannia (a female ...
.


In England


Medieval era

Stock phrases or standard elements present in epitaphs on mediaeval church monuments and ledger stones in England include: *''Hic jacet..'' (here lies...) *''... cuius animae propitietur deus amen'' (generally abbreviated to ''cuius aie ppitiet ds ame'' with
tilde The tilde (, also ) is a grapheme or with a number of uses. The name of the character came into English from Spanish , which in turn came from the Latin , meaning 'title' or 'superscription'. Its primary use is as a diacritic (accent) in ...
s indicating the omitted letters) ("whose soul may God look upon with favour Amen") *''Memoriae sacrum ...'' / ''MS'' ("Sacred to the memory (of) ...")


Modern era

*''Requiescat in pace'' / ''RIP'' ("may he rest in peace")


Notable examples


Poets, playwrights and other writers


Statesmen


Mathematicians


Soldiers


Entertainers


Activists


Other


Monuments with epitaphs

File:Selena Quintanilla-Perez's grave.jpg, Grave of Selena at Seaside Memorial Park in Corpus Christi, Texas citing Isaiah 25:8 writings Image:Grave of W. B. Yeats; Drumecliff, Co Sligo.jpg, Grave of W. B. Yeats, Drumecliff, Co. Sligo File:Grabplatte Johann Wauer Hochkirch.jpg, Lengthy epitaph for Johann Wauer (d. 1728), a German pastor, concluding with a short Biblical quotation File:Mel Blanc 4-15-05.JPG, The epitaph on voice actor Mel Blanc's tombstone Heather O'Rourke crypt 2.jpg, Inscription at Heather O'Rourke's crypt File:Sahabi tomb.jpg, Ezzatollah Sahabi, Glory of Iran and his patriotic daughter Haleh File:Garner headstone with eitaph, Houghton, Cambridgeshire.jpg, A folksy epitaph to an English village blacksmith in Houghton, Cambridgeshire File:Spike Milligan's gravestone.jpg, Gravestone of comedian, writer and actor
Spike Milligan Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was an Irish comedian, writer, musician, poet, playwright and actor. The son of an English mother and Irish father, he was born in British Raj, British India, where he spent his ...
, including his epitaph


In music

In a more figurative sense, the term may be used for music composed in memory of the deceased. Igor Stravinsky composed in 1958 '' Epitaphium'' for flute, clarinet and harp. In 1967 Krzysztof Meyer called his Symphony No. 2 for choir and orchestra ''Epitaphium Stanisław Wiechowicz in memoriam''. Jeffrey Lewis composed ''Epitaphium – Children of the Sun'' for narrator, chamber choir, piano, flute, clarinet and percussion. In 1969,
King Crimson King Crimson were an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1968 by Robert Fripp, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Ian McDonald (musician), Ian McDonald and Peter Sinfield. Guitarist Fripp remained the only constant member throughout the ...
released the song
Epitaph An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...
, giving a reference to epitaphs within the song. Bronius Kutavičius composed in 1998 ''Epitaphium temporum pereunti''. Valentin Silvestrov composed in 1999 ''Epitaph L.B.'' (Епітафія Л.Б.) for viola (or cello) and piano. In 2007 Graham Waterhouse composed '' Epitaphium'' for string trio as a tribute to the memory of his father William Waterhouse. The South African poet Gert Vlok Nel wrote an (originally) untitled song, which appeared on his first music album "Beaufort-Wes se Beautiful Woorde" as "Epitaph", because his producer Eckard Potgieter told him that the song sounded like an epitaph.
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...
's final album, '' Blackstar'', released in 2016, is generally seen as his musical epitaph, with singles " Blackstar" and " Lazarus" often singled out.


See also

* Chronogram *
Cenotaph A cenotaph is an empty grave, tomb or a monument erected in honor of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere or have been lost. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although t ...
*
Death poem The death poem is a genre of poetry that developed in the literary traditions of the Sinosphere—most prominently in Culture of Japan, Japan as well as certain periods of Chinese history, Joseon Korea, and Vietnam. They tend to offer a reflectio ...
* Epigraph * Eulogy * ''Epitaphios logos'' (ancient Greek funeral oration) *
Hero stone A hero stone (Vīragallu in Kannada, Naṭukal in Tamil) is a memorial commemorating the honorable death of a hero in battle. Erected between the second half of the first millennium BCE and the 18th century CE, hero stones are found all over In ...
* Seikilos epitaph


References


Bibliography

* * * *


External links

*
Kohima Epitaph
{{Authority control Acknowledgements of death Inscriptions by type