History & Politics
Epitaph
From Late Lyrics and Earlier, With Many Other Verses
History & Politics
I NEVER cared for Life: Life cared for me,
And hence I owed it some fidelity.
It now says, “Cease; at length thou hast learnt to grind
Sufficient toll for an unwilling mind,
And I dismiss thee—not without regard
That thou didst ask no ill-advised reward,
Nor sought in me much more than thou couldst find.”
Cite this poem
MLA
Hardy, Thomas. “Epitaph.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/hardy/515/.
Chicago
Hardy, Thomas. “Epitaph.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/hardy/515/.
Read this poem with the Codex →