'Epitaph+to+a+Dog'+(1808)

toc =Poem= //Near this Spot are deposited the Remains of one who possessed Beauty without Vanity, Strength without Insolence, Courage without Ferocity, and all the virtues of Man without his Vices.

This praise, which would be unmeaning Flattery if inscribed over human Ashes, is but a just tribute to the Memory of BOATSWAIN, a DOG, who was born in Newfoundland May 1803 and died at Newstead Nov. 18, 1808. When some proud Son of Man returns to Earth, Unknown by Glory, but upheld by Birth, The sculptor’s art exhausts the pomp of woe, And storied urns record who rests below. When all is done, upon the Tomb is seen, Not what he was, but what he should have been. But the poor Dog, in life the firmest friend, The first to welcome, foremost to defend, Whose honest heart is still his Master’s own, Who labours, fights, lives, breathes for him alone, Unhonoured falls, unnoticed all his worth, Denied in heaven the Soul he held on earth – While man, vain insect! hopes to be forgiven, And claims himself a sole exclusive heaven.

Oh man! thou feeble tenant of an hour, Debased by slavery, or corrupt by power – Who knows thee well must quit thee with disgust, Degraded mass of animated dust! Thy love is lust, thy friendship all a cheat, Thy tongue hypocrisy, thy words deceit! By nature vile, ennobled but by name, Each kindred brute might bid thee blush for shame. Ye, who perchance behold this simple urn, Pass on – it honors none you wish to mourn. To mark a friend’s remains these stones arise; I never knew but one – and here he lies.//

=Byron's 'Epitaph to a Dog'= Byron's memorial poem "Epitaph to a Dog" was written in 1808, following the death of his Newfoundland dog, named Boatswain. The dog had contracted rabies, and the poem was written to eulogize the dog, with Byron planning to use the last two lines as the inscription on the dogs tomb. The entire poem was eventually used to inscribe the dog's memorial, which was placed at Byron's estate at Newstead Abbey. =Analysis= Byron was a man exceptionally aware of the human capacity for betrayal, vanity and malice, himself falling prey to these vices as a regular habit. It is not hard to see how, recognizing this about himself and--perhaps to a fault--humankind in general, that he would so perceive and admire the steadfast and seemingly selfless nature of a companion dog.

The tone of the poem alternates between lauding the virtues of the fallen dog and railing against the inadequacies and evils of men. This is one of the few pieces I have read that, discussing a beloved animal, refuses to anthropomorphize the animal at all. This is the point of the piece, really, to set and contrast the dearly departed companion from cruel and inconsistent man.

For my part, I find the emotions of the poem moving, and the vulnerability displayed in its writing an interesting facet of the author's character, especially in light of the cavalier manner that Byron was know to treat other humans, in his relationships with them. As a devoted pet-keeper myself, the subject speaks to feelings I have held, as well, and I find the piece easy to empathize with.