epitaph

Epitaph Click here for more free books!

(ĕp'ĭ-tăf')

1. An inscription on a tombstone in memory of the one buried there.
2. A brief literary piece commemorating a deceased person.

[Middle English, from Old French epitaphe, from Latin epitaphium, from Greek epitaphion, from neuter of epitaphios, funerary : epi-, epi- + taphos, tomb.]

View more Literature & Language videos

For more information on epitaph, visit Britannica.com.

epitaph, a form of words in prose or verse suited for inscription on a tomb–although many facetious verses composed as epitaphs have not actually been inflicted on their victims' graves. Epitaphs may take the form of appeals from the dead to passers‐by, or of descriptions of the dead person's merits. Many ancient Greek epitaphs survive in the Greek Anthology (c.920 CE), and both Johnson and Wordsworth wrote essays on the epitaph as an art.

adjective: epitaphic.

Inscription on a funerary monument, tombstone, etc.

Ballet in one act with choreography by van Dantzig, music by Ligeti, and design by van Schayk. Premiered 26 June 1969 by Dutch National Ballet at Stadsschouwburg, Amsterdam, with G. Wijnoogst, van Schayk, and C. Geldorp. This setting of Ligeti's Atmosphères and Volumina deals with failures of communication in modern urban society. It has been revived for Munich Ballet (1972).

A brief poem or statement in memory of someone who is deceased, used as -- or suitable for -- a tombstone inscription; a commemorative lamentation.

n.

An inscription on a tomb, showing that virtues acquired by death have a retroactive effect. Following is a touching example:

    Here lie the bones of Parson Platt,
    Wise, pious, humble and all that,
    Who showed us life as all should live it;
    Let that be said -- and God forgive it!

LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!

Quotes:

"Here lies one believe it if you can, who thought an attorney, was a honest man."

"Here lies an Atheist: All Dressed Up and No Place to Go."

"Remember man as you walk by, as you are now so once was I, as I am now, so you will be, so prepare for death and follow me."

Quotes:

"When I die, my epitaph should read: She Paid the Bills. That's the story of my private life." - Gloria Swanson

"At last God caught his eye." - Harry Secombe

"If men could see the epitaphs their friends write they would believe they had gotten into the wrong grave." - American Proverb

"The most touching epitaph I ever encountered was on the tombstone of the printer of Edinburgh. It said simply: He kept down the cost and set the type right." - Gregory Nunn

"In lapidary inscriptions a man is not upon oath." - Samuel Johnson

"Oh, write of me, not Died in bitter pains, but Emigrated to another star!" - Helen Hunt Jackson

See more famous quotes about Epitaphs

• Burial and Funerals - epitaph: memorial inscription on tomb or grave

For other uses, see Epitaph (disambiguation).

Not to be confused with epigraph.

An epitaph (from Greek ἐπιτάφιον epitaphion "a funeral oration" from ἐπί epi "at, over" and τάφος taphos "tomb")^[1] is a short text honoring a deceased person, strictly speaking that is inscribed on their tombstone or plaque, but also used figuratively. Some are specified by the dead person beforehand, others chosen by those responsible for the burial. An epitaph may be in poem verse; poets have been known to compose their own epitaphs prior to their death, as W.B. Yeats did.

Most epitaphs are brief records of the family, and perhaps the career, of the deceased, often with an expression of love or respect - "beloved father of ..." - but others are more ambitious. From the Renaissance 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. However, the Laudatio Turiae, the longest known Ancient Roman epitaph exceeds almost all of these at 180 lines; it celebrates the virtues of a wife, probably of a consul.

Some are quotes from holy texts, or aphorisms. An 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, as often it would require the reader to stand 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) but nearly all (excepting those where this is impossible, including the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier) note name, year or date of birth and date of death. Many list family and their relation to them; such as Father / Mother / Son / Daughter etc. of.

Contents 1 Notable epitaphs 2 Epitaphs in music 3 See also 4 References 5 External links

Notable epitaphs

Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by
that here, obedient to their law, we lie.

— Simonides's epigram at Thermopylae

I am ready to meet my Maker.
Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter.

— Winston Churchill^[2]

To save your world you asked this man to die:
Would this man, could he see you now, ask why?

— Epitaph for the Unknown Soldier, written by W. H. Auden^[3]

Against you I will fling myself, unvanquished and unyielding, O Death!

— Virginia Woolf^[4]

Good frend for Jesus sake forebeare,
To digg þe dust encloased heare.
Blese be þe man þat spares þes stones,
And curst be he þat moves my bones.
In modern English:
Good friend for Jesus sake forbear,
To dig the dust enclosed here.
Blessed be the man that spares these stones,
And curst be he that moves my bones.

— William Shakespeare^[5]

I told you I was ill.

— Spike Milligan

I've finally stopped getting dumber.

— Paul Erdős

That's all folks.

— Mel Blanc

If anyone at my funeral has a long face, I'll never speak to him again.

— Stan Laurel

Consider, friend, as you pass by: As you are now, so once was I. As I am now, you too shall be. Prepare, therefore, to follow me.

— Scottish tombstone epitaph

• 

  Epitaph for heart of Frédéric Chopin

• 

  Grave of W. B. Yeats; Drumecliff, Co. Sligo

• 

  Lengthy epitaph for Johann Wauer a (German pastor), died 1728, concluding with a short Biblical quotation

• 

  The epitaph on voice actor Mel Blanc's tombstone

• 

  Plaque marking Heather O'Rourke's interment

Epitaphs in music

In a more figurative sense, music in memory of deceased people has been composed. 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. 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.

See also

• Chronogram
• Epigraph
• Funeral oration (ancient Greece) ("epitaphios logos")
• Hero stone

References

1. ^ Online Etymology Dictionary: Epitaph
2. ^ Famous Epitaph on Winston Churchill tomb stone
3. ^ Famous Epitaph on Unknown Soldier tomb stone
4. ^ Woolf, Virginia (1931), The Waves, Berlin: Harcourt 
5. ^ Photograph of William Shakespear's grave, 3 June 2007

External links

Find more about Epitaph on Wikipedia's sister projects:
	Definitions and translations from Wiktionary
	Images and media from Commons
	Learning resources from Wikiversity
	News stories from Wikinews
	Quotations from Wikiquote
	Source texts from Wikisource
	Textbooks from Wikibooks

• What is the Kohima Epitaph?
• Kohima Epitaph

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - gravskrift, epitafium

Nederlands (Dutch)
grafschrift, epitaaf (gezegde ter herdenking van dode)

Français (French)
n. - épitaphe

Deutsch (German)
n. - Grabinschrift, Epitaph

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - επιτάφιος (λόγος), επιτύμβια επιγραφή

Italiano (Italian)
epitaffio

Português (Portuguese)
n. - epitáfio (m)

Русский (Russian)
эпитафия, некролог

Español (Spanish)
n. - epitafio, inscripción sepulcral

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - gravskrift

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
墓志铭, 碑文

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 墓誌銘, 碑文

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 비문

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 墓碑銘, 碑文

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) نقش على ضريح‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮כתובת (על מצבה)‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.