Epitaph
Epitaph - meaning Summary
A Life in Four Stages
The poem sketches four brisk stages of a man’s life—childhood, youth, adulthood and old age—each summarized by a characteristic trait. The closing epitaph compresses that progression into a wry, public judgment that both names and diminishes the whole life. Its tone is concise and ironically humane, inviting readers to recognize the ordinary shifts of character over time rather than a single heroic identity.
Read Complete AnalysesAs a boy, reserved and naughty; As a youth, a coxcomb and haughty; As a man, for action inclined; As a greybeard, fickle in mind. Upon thy grave will people read: This was a very man, indeed!
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