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 a form of written or spoken language that follows the natural flow of speech, uses a language's ordinary grammatical structures, or follows the conventions of formal academic writing. It differs from most traditional poetry, where the ...

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 ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

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 ''Laudatio Turiae'' ("In praise of Turia") is a tombstone engraved with a carved epitaph that is a husband's eulogy of his wife. It was made in the late 1st century BC. It portrays the love of a husband for his loyal wife. Tombstone The freque ...

, the longest known Ancient Roman epitaph, exceeds almost all of these at 180 lines; it celebrates the virtues of an honored wife, probably of a consul. Some are quotes from holy texts, or aphorisms. 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").

History

The history of epitaphs extends as far back as the ancient Egyptians and have differed in delivery. The

ancient Greeks Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity ( AD 600), that comprised a loose collection of cult ...

utilised emotive expression, written in elegiac verse, later in prose.

Ancient Romans In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 ...

' 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 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who hav ...

, 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 Encyclopedia Britannica.

Format

Sarcophagi and coffins were the choice of ancient Egyptians for epitaphs;

brasses A monumental brass is a type of engraved sepulchral memorial, which in the 13th century began to partially take the place of three-dimensional monuments and effigies carved in stone or wood. Made of hard latten or sheet brass, let into the pavem ...

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 symbol of Britannia (a female personific ...

Epitaphs in England

Medieval era

SirJohnHarsyck 1384 SouthAcreChurch Norfolk

Stock phrases or standard elements present in epitaphs on mediaeval church monuments and

ledger stone A ledger stone or ledgerstone is an inscribed stone slab usually laid into the floor of a church to commemorate or mark the place of the burial of an important deceased person. The term "ledger" derives from the Middle English words ''lygger'', ' ...

s in England include: *''Hic jacet..'' (here lies...) *''... cuius animae propitietur deus amen'' (generally abbreviated to ''cuius aie ppitiet ds ame'' with tildes 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

) , author= Paul Erdős ) , author= David Hilbert

Soldiers

Entertainers

) , source=

Spike Milligan Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was an Irish actor, comedian, writer, musician, poet, and playwright. The son of an English mother and Irish father, he was born in British Colonial India, where he spent his ...

Other

Monuments with epitaphs

File:SSACRAM 64.JPG, Epitaph painted by Guidon Reni, for the knight van Ertborn de Witte File:Selena Quintanilla-Perez's grave.jpg, Grave of

Selena Selena Quintanilla Pérez (; April 16, 1971 – March 31, 1995), known mononymously as Selena, was an American Tejano singer. Called the " Queen of Tejano music", her contributions to music and fashion made her one of the most celebrated Mex ...

at Seaside Memorial Park in Corpus Christi, Texas citing Isaiah 25:8 writings File:Epitaph for heart of Frédéric Chopin in Holy Cross Church in Warsaw.PNG, Epitaph for heart of Frédéric Chopin Image:Grave of W. B. Yeats; Drumecliff, Co Sligo.jpg, Grave of W. B. Yeats; Drumecliff, Co. Sligo Image:Grabplatte Johann Wauer Hochkirch.jpg, Lengthy epitaph for Johann Wauer a (German pastor), died 1728, concluding with a short Biblical quotation Image: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 Ezzatollah Sahabi (9 May 1930 – 31 May 2011) was an Iranian politician and journalist. He was a parliament member from 1980 to 1984. Early life Sahabi was born on 9 May 1930 in Tehran, Iran. His father, Yadollah Sahabi, was an influential fi ...

, 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 Houghton is a village in Cambridgeshire, England, approximately east of Huntingdon on the A1123 road, and south of RAF Wyton. It lies on the north bank of the River Great Ouse, by Houghton Mill. Houghton is in the civil parish of Houghton a ...

, UK File:Spike Milligan gravestone, Winchelsea, East Sussex.jpg, The gravestone of comedian, writer and actor

showing the notable epitaph File:Mary Kay Bergman Grave.JPG, Grave of Mary Kay Bergman, at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills). Note that it features etchings of characters she voiced on '' South Park''. File:The epitaph of the preacher Berthold de Wyrbna in Szprotawa Poland.jpg, The epitaph of the preacher Berthold de Wyrbna (Dominican) from 1316 in Szprotawa, the oldest tombstone in

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...

, Poland.

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 Krzysztof Meyer (born 11 August 1943) is a Polish composer, pianist, and music scholar, formerly Dean of the Department of Music Theory (1972–1975) at the State College of Music (now Academy of Music in Kraków), and president of the Union of P ...

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 are a progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London, England. The band draws inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, industrial, electronic, experime ...

released the song ''Epitaph'', giving a reference to epitaphs within the song.

Bronius Kutavičius Bronius Kutavičius (13 September 1932 – 29 September 2021) was a Lithuanian composer and academic composition teacher. He wrote numerous oratorios and operas, often inspired by ancient Lithuanian polytheistic beliefs and music. He also compose ...

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 professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

's final album, '' Blackstar'', released in 2016, is generally seen as his musical epitaph, with singles " Blackstar" and " Lazarus" often singled out.

In space

In the late 1990s, a unique epitaph was flown to the Moon along with the ashes of geologist and planetary scientist

Eugene Shoemaker Eugene Merle Shoemaker (April 28, 1928 – July 18, 1997) was an American geologist. He co-discovered Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 with his wife Carolyn S. Shoemaker and David H. Levy. This comet hit Jupiter in July 1994: the impact was televise ...

. At the suggestion of colleague Carolyn Porco, Shoemaker's ashes were launched aboard the '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft on January 6, 1998. The ashes were accompanied by a laser-engraved epitaph on a small piece of foil. The spacecraft, along with the ashes and epitaph, crashed on command into the south polar region of the Moon on July 31, 1999.

References

Bibliography

*Vidor, Gian Marco (2014). Satisfying the mind and inflaming the heart: emotions and funerary epigraphy in nineteenth-century Italy. ''Mortality'' (Routledge), on-line edition. http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/fByCJS8IEiui62NK5wrq/full#.U_HCzFOBq3o *Bertrand, Régis (2005). Que de vertus. Les épitaphes édifiantes des débuts du XIXe siècle. In R. Bertrand, A. Carol, & J.-N. Pelen (Eds.), ''Les narrations de la mort'' (pp. 241–255). Aix-en-Provence: Publications de l'Universite' de Provence. *Guthke, K. S. (2003). ''Epitaph culture in the west. Variations on a theme in cultural history''. Lewiston, NY: Mellen.

External links

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