✦ Class 12 English Poetry · Bihar Board

An
Epitaph

Walter de la Mare

A short, poignant poem inscribed on a tomb — a meditation on the fleeting nature of physical beauty and the inevitability of being forgotten, spoken in the voice of a poet who fears that even his memory of the beautiful lady will die with him.

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Walter de la Mare
Walter de la Mare Poet, Novelist & Short Story Writer · 1873–1956
The Poet

Walter de la Mare (1873–1956)

A poet of childhood, dreams, and the supernatural — and of quiet, haunting melancholy.

Walter de la Mare portrait

Walter de la Mare (1873–1956) was born in the village of Charlton in Kent, England. He lost his father at the age of four and had to move with his family to London. He is known for his sensitive concerns with the world of children and the world of the supernatural.

His Songs for Children and Peacock Pie depict a world of dreams. But even in these songs there is a note of 'melancholy'. The poet makes us aware of the inhuman condition of modern life. He shows his genius by evincing fresh interest in old themes.

Queen Elizabeth II honoured him with the Order of Merit in 1953. His best-known works include The Listeners (1912), Peacock Pie (1913) and The Traveller (1946).

An Epitaph is a short lyric in which the poet mourns a beautiful lady buried in the West Country. The poem is a meditation on the transience of physical beauty and the inevitability of being forgotten. It is at once tender, melancholy, and quietly philosophical.

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Full NameWalter John de la Mare
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Born25 April 1873, Charlton, Kent
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Died22 June 1956
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HonourOrder of Merit · 1953
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Famous WorksThe Listeners · Peacock Pie · The Traveller
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PoemAn Epitaph
Quick Overview

Summary

Concise overview of the chapter.

An Epitaph by Walter de la Mare is a short, tender poem about death and remembrance. It is spoken as an inscription on a tombstone — an epitaph that a lover has written for the woman he loved.

The poem opens with a gentle plea: "Here lies a most beautiful lady, / Light of step and heart was she." The speaker remembers not just her beauty but her lightness of being — the way she moved, the joy she brought, the warmth of her heart.

The second stanza admits that she is gone — "She lies where she would wish to lie." But the speaker doesn't mourn her death as something tragic. He presents it as a quiet return to the earth, a natural homecoming.

The final stanza is the most moving. The speaker says he will not weep for her or speak of her as one who is dead. Instead, he asks the reader to remember her only as she was — "Beauty that was hers in life." He wants the world to know that she lived, not merely that she died.

The poem's tone is soft, elegant, and dignified. It rejects the usual melodrama of mourning and offers instead a quiet tribute to a life that was beautiful and is now gone. The message is that true love remembers not with tears, but with gratitude.

And when the grave is grown, / Think only this of me: / That there's some corner of a foreign field / That is for ever England. — The poem's romantic spirit
The Text

An Epitaph

Walter de la Mare's meditation on beauty, memory, and mortality.

Stanza 1 Here Lies a Most Beautiful Lady

1Here lies a most beautiful lady,
2Light of step and heart was she;
3I think she was the most beautiful lady
4That ever was in the West Country.
5But beauty vanishes; beauty passes,
6However rare—rare it be;
7And when I crumble, who will remember
8This lady of the West Country?

The poem is an epitaph — an inscription on a tomb — for a lady buried in the West Country. The speaker describes her as "a most beautiful lady," "light of step and heart." He believes she was the most beautiful lady ever in the West Country. But then he reflects: "beauty vanishes; beauty passes, / However rare—rare it be." And he asks the poignant question: "when I crumble, who will remember / This lady of the West Country?" The poem is a meditation on the transience of beauty and the fragility of memory.

But beauty vanishes; beauty passes,
However rare—rare it be;
And when I crumble, who will remember
This lady of the West Country? — Walter de la Mare
Quick Revision

Key Themes — An Epitaph

Six ideas that shape Walter de la Mare's poignant lyric.

💔 The Transience of Beauty

The central theme of the poem is that physical beauty is fleeting. "Beauty vanishes; beauty passes, / However rare—rare it be." No matter how beautiful a person is, time destroys that beauty.

🪦 Mortality and Memory

The poem is an epitaph — a meditation on death and remembrance. The speaker fears that when he dies ("when I crumble"), no one will remember the beautiful lady, because he is the one who keeps her memory alive.

🌹 Inner Beauty vs. Outer Beauty

The poem contrasts outer, physical beauty, which fades, with inner beauty, which endures. The lady's "light of step and heart" suggests a beauty of character that may outlast mere appearance.

😢 Melancholy and Loss

A note of melancholy runs through the poem — the sadness of loss, the inevitability of death, and the fragility of human memory. The speaker mourns not only the lady but also his own eventual disappearance.

⏳ The Passage of Time

Time is the great destroyer. It takes away beauty, life, and memory. The poem is a quiet meditation on the passage of time and the impermanence of all things.

❓ The Irony of Remembrance

There is a quiet irony in the poem: the speaker, who remembers the lady, will himself die and be forgotten. The poem asks who will remember when the rememberer is gone. It is a meditation on the fragility of all human monuments.

Assessment

Test Your Understanding

Multiple choice · Fill in the blanks · Short answer. Everything is drawn from the poem above.

🧠 Part A — Multiple Choice

Choose the best answer for each question. Click Check Answers at the end to see your score.

Score: — / 0

✏️ Part B — Fill in the Blanks

Complete each sentence on the basis of the poem. Type your answer, then click Check Answers.

Score: — / 0

📝 Part C — Short Answer Questions

Think through your answer first, then click Show Model Answer to compare.

Textbook Exercises

Complete Exercise Bank

All questions from the Bihar Board Class 12 English Poetry textbook — with answers and model responses.

B.1.1 Write T for True and F for False

Read the following sentences and write T for true and F for false. Click to reveal the answer with explanation.

aThe poet expresses his sad feeling for a lady.
True (T). The poet expresses his sad feeling for a dead lady. He mourns her death and the passing of her beauty.
bThe lady belonged to the North Country.
False (F). The lady belonged to the West Country. The poem says: "This lady of the West Country."
cThe poet considers her the most beautiful lady.
True (T). The poet says: "I think she was the most beautiful lady / That ever was in the West Country."
d'Beauty' remains for ever if we take proper care for it.
False (F). The poet says: "But beauty vanishes; beauty passes, / However rare—rare it be." Physical beauty does not remain forever.
eThere are other persons who also know the lady.
False (F). The poet implies that he is the only one who remembers her. When he dies, no one will remember her.
fThe poet feels that after his death nobody will remember her.
True (T). The poet asks: "And when I crumble, who will remember / This lady of the West Country?" He fears that no one will remember her after his death.

B.1.2 Answer the Following Questions Briefly

1Where does the lady lie?
The lady lies in her grave in the West Country. The poem begins: "Here lies a most beautiful lady."
2How does she look to the poet?
She looks to the poet like the most beautiful lady that ever was in the West Country. She was "light of step and heart" — graceful in movement and light-hearted in spirit.
3Was she a kind and considerate lady?
The poem does not explicitly say she was kind and considerate, but the phrase "light of step and heart" suggests she was graceful, cheerful, and light-hearted — qualities that suggest a kind and pleasant nature.
4What does the poet think about 'beauty'?
The poet thinks that beauty is transient. He says: "But beauty vanishes; beauty passes, / However rare—rare it be." No matter how rare or exceptional beauty is, it does not last forever. It is subject to time and decay.
5What does the poet mean when he says 'And when I crumble'.
When the poet says "And when I crumble," he means "when I die" or "when I fall to pieces in the grave." 'Crumble' means to fall down in pieces — here, it is a metaphor for death. The poet is saying that when he himself dies, no one will remember the beautiful lady.

C.1 Long Answer Questions

Prepare detailed answers. Click to reveal model responses.

1'Ambiguity' is a poetic device which is used to suggest more than one meaning and attitude. Comment on the 'ambiguity' in the use of the word 'light' in the second line of the poem.
The word 'light' in the second line — "Light of step and heart was she" — is ambiguous, carrying more than one meaning. On one level, 'light' means physically light — she moved with a light, graceful step. On another level, 'light' means cheerful, carefree, and light-hearted — she had a happy, unburdened spirit. The ambiguity deepens when we consider the glossary note: "light of step and heart: had the habit of moving here and there and had no commitment." This suggests a third meaning — she was perhaps fickle or uncommitted, moving lightly from place to place and person to person. This ambiguity is central to the poem's meaning: the lady's beauty and lightness of being are both attractive and elusive, and this elusiveness may be why she is so difficult to remember. The word 'light' thus suggests grace, cheerfulness, and perhaps a lack of depth — all at once.
2What, according to the poet, are the two qualities of 'beauty'? Discuss with your own comments.
According to the poet, beauty has two qualities: it is rare and it is transient. First, beauty is rare — "However rare—rare it be." True beauty is not common; it is exceptional and precious. Second, beauty is transient — "beauty vanishes; beauty passes." No matter how rare or exceptional it is, beauty does not last. It is subject to time, decay, and death. My own comment: This view of beauty is both melancholy and realistic. Physical beauty is indeed fleeting — youth fades, features change, and eventually the body crumbles. But the poem also suggests, by contrast, that inner beauty — beauty of character, of "heart" — may be more enduring. The lady's "light of step and heart" is remembered even after her physical beauty has vanished. So while outer beauty passes, inner beauty may live on in memory.
3What will happen when the poet dies?
When the poet dies — "when I crumble" — the memory of the beautiful lady will die with him. The poet is the one who remembers her, who keeps her memory alive. When he is gone, no one will remember "this lady of the West Country." The poem thus raises a poignant question about the fragility of memory and the inevitability of being forgotten. Even the most beautiful lady, remembered by the most devoted admirer, will eventually be forgotten when the rememberer himself dies. It is a meditation on the transience of all human things — beauty, memory, and life itself.
4Write a note on the philosophical meaning of the poem.
The philosophical meaning of "An Epitaph" is a meditation on the mortality of human life and the transience of beauty and glamour. The poem suggests that all physical beauty is bound to vanish — "beauty vanishes; beauty passes." Nothing in the physical world is permanent. The poem also reflects on the fragility of memory: even the most beautiful person will be forgotten when the one who remembers them dies. There is a quiet irony in the poem — the speaker, who mourns the lady's death and fears she will be forgotten, is himself mortal and will himself be forgotten. The philosophical message is that we should not attach ourselves too deeply to physical beauty, which is fleeting, but should value inner beauty — the "light of step and heart" — which may outlast mere appearance. In the end, all things pass, and the poem is a serene acceptance of this truth.
5What makes you feel that the poem is 'ironical' in meaning?
The poem is ironical in several ways. First, the speaker praises the lady's beauty as the most beautiful in the West Country, yet he immediately acknowledges that "beauty vanishes; beauty passes." The very thing he praises is doomed to destruction. Second, the speaker asks who will remember the lady when he dies — but the irony is that he, too, will be forgotten. The rememberer is as mortal as the remembered. Third, the poem is an epitaph — a monument meant to preserve memory — yet the poem itself acknowledges that memory is fragile and will eventually vanish. The monument is a testimony to the futility of monuments. This layering of meaning — the surface meaning of praise and the implied meaning of transience and futility — gives the poem its ironic quality.

C.2 Group Discussion

Discuss the following in groups or pairs.

  • Great people do not die; they live in our memory by virtue of their deeds.
  • Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.

C.3 Composition

Write a paragraph in about 100 words on the following.

  • A thing of beauty is a joy for ever.
  • All that glitters is not gold.

D.1 Dictionary Use

Ex 1Correct the spelling of the following words: beautiful, vanishes, crumbul, rimembar, ladie.
Corrected spellings:
beautiful · vanishes · crumble · remember · lady

D.2 Word-formation

'Beautiful' is derived from 'beauty' by adding suffix '-ful'. Write 10 words that end in '-ful'.

QWrite 10 words ending in '-ful'.
1. beautiful
2. wonderful
3. helpful
4. careful
5. hopeful
6. joyful
7. peaceful
8. thankful
9. powerful
10. graceful

D.3 Word-meaning

Fill in the blanks with the antonyms of the following words given in the box: beautiful, light, ever, vanish, rare, remember.

iThe stars suddenly ____________ from behind the clouds.
vanished
iiAs the room was ____________ I could not see anything.
dark
iiiThey created an ____________ scene when they fought together.
ugly
ivA crow is a ____________ bird in India.
common
vWe can never ____________ the valuable sacrifice of the leaders of the freedom struggle movement.
forget

E. Grammar — Articles

Fill in the blanks with 'a', 'an' or 'the' to complete the sentences.

iMost of ____________ students today want to work in ____________ U.S.A.
Most of the students today want to work in the U.S.A.
iiThere is ____________ red rose on ____________ plant, ____________ rose has become quite attractive.
There is a red rose on the plant, the rose has become quite attractive.
iiiThere are very few students in ____________ university, who want to pursue research work.
There are very few students in the university, who want to pursue research work.
iv____________ apple ____________ day keeps ____________ doctor away.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
vI have met ____________ M.L.A. today.
I have met an M.L.A. today.

F. Activities

Ex 1Request your teacher of social sciences to deliver a lecture on different aspects of the Taj Mahal, namely, historical, location, architectural and human.
(Suggested approach) Invite your social science teacher to give a lecture on the Taj Mahal. Take notes on its history (built by Shah Jahan in memory of Mumtaz Mahal), its location (Agra, on the banks of the Yamuna), its architecture (white marble, dome, minarets, pietra dura inlay), and its human aspect (the labour of 20,000 workers, the love story behind it).
Ex 2Do a project work on 'Taj Mahal: a dream in marble'. Paste a picture of the Taj Mahal on it.
(Suggested approach) Prepare a project on the Taj Mahal with sections on: Introduction, History, Architecture, Symbolism, and Legacy. Include a picture of the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal is often called "a dream in marble" because of its ethereal beauty and perfect symmetry.
Ex 3Prepare a list of some well-known monuments and memorials built in India, mentioning the names of those who built them, the dates/periods when they were built and the persons in whose memory they were built.
Monuments and Memorials in India:

• Taj Mahal, Agra — Built by Shah Jahan (1632–1653) — In memory of Mumtaz Mahal.
• Qutub Minar, Delhi — Built by Qutb-ud-din Aibak (1193–1368) — A victory tower.
• Red Fort, Delhi — Built by Shah Jahan (1639–1648) — The palace of the Mughal emperors.
• India Gate, Delhi — Built by the British (1921) — In memory of Indian soldiers who died in World War I.
• Gateway of India, Mumbai — Built by the British (1911–1924) — To commemorate the visit of King George V.
• Victoria Memorial, Kolkata — Built by the British (1906–1921) — In memory of Queen Victoria.
• Charminar, Hyderabad — Built by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah (1591) — To commemorate the end of a plague.
• Sanchi Stupa, Madhya Pradesh — Built by Ashoka (3rd century BCE) — A Buddhist monument.
• Konark Sun Temple, Odisha — Built by King Narasimhadeva I (13th century) — A temple to the Sun God.

📚 Glossary & Notes

Key words from the poem with their meanings.

  • epitaph (n): inscription on a tomb in memory of the dead
  • light of step and heart: had the habit of moving here and there and had no commitment
  • vanishes (v): disappears
  • rare (adj): not common
  • crumble (v): fall down in pieces, here, die