In this thou imitat'st one rich and wise, That sees his good deeds done before he dies: As he by works, thou by this work of fame Hath well provided for thy living name. To trust to others' honourings is worth's crime, Thy monument is raised in thy life-time; And 'tis most just; for every worthy man Is his own marble, and his merit can Cut him to any figure, and express More art than death's cathedral palaces Where royal ashes keep their court. Thy note Be ever plainness; 'tis the richest coat: Thy epitaph only the title be, Write DUCHESS, that will fetch a tear for thee; For who e'er saw this Duchess live and die, That could get off under a bleeding eye? In Tragœdiam. Ut lux ex tenebris ictu percussa tonantis, Illa, ruina malis, claris fit vita poetis. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE OWL by PHILIP EDWARD THOMAS TWO SONNETS FROM NEW YORK: TOWERS by ADELAIDE NICHOLS BAKER BACH'S ORGAN WORKS by THOMAS EDWARD BROWN BALLAD TO THE TUNE OF TROY TOWN by PATRICK CAREY THE RESIGNATION by THOMAS CHATTERTON ESCAPE by JACQUES GEORGES CLEMENCEAU LE CLERQ LAGO MAGGIORE by THOMAS COLE (1801-1848) ON A READER OF HIS OWN VERSES; EPIGRAM by SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE |