Here lies the body of this world,
Whose soul alas to hell is hurled.
This golden youth long since was past,
Its silver manhood went as fast,
An iron age drew on at last;
‘Tis vain its character to tell,
The several fates which it befell,
What year it died, when ’twill arise,
We only know that here it lies.
Epitaph On The World
Analysis, meaning and summary of Henry David Thoreau's poem Epitaph On The World
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This peom makes me think of the future and those that may reflect on the days of today and relate this peom to these days and all that our futures will hold, of which we do not know.
Being of an environmental background, I was immediately prompted to think of the earth as it is today. Being of a somewhat pessimistic nature (although I desperately try not to be), I thought this poem tells greatly of the situation of the world today. Not that it is dying so much but that maybe their is a something happening to it and/or to us that we can’t explain. Perhaps we are falling towards something that we know not of, but we are too busy doing other things to really notice.