Thomas Hardy

Hardy's "Epitaph" seemed to be a strange piece for him to write, especially at the time he did. Hardy died in 1928 and this particular poem was written in 1899. Some people may write their epitaph if they think they are near death, but I do not recall Hardy suffering any severe illness at this time. For whatever reason Hardy wrote "Epitaph" (and it may not even be an epitaph for himself) the poem contains many wordings which I find somewhat difficult to interpret. In the opening lines of the poem, the speaker states that "I never cared for life: Life cared for me, and hence I owed it some fidelity" (Hardy 1079). In saying this, does Hardy mean that the world cared whether he lived or died or does he mean that he feels that life treated him well? Further, when Hardy says he owes life some fidelity, the question arises How can one owe fidelity, which usually means loyalty, duty, or service, to an abstract concept such as life? Later, in the closing of the poem, Hardy writes "'though didst ask no ill-advised reward, Nor sought in me much more than thou couldst find'" (Hardy 1079). This ill-advised reward may be many things, but one idea that comes to mind is the old idea that the things men most want are the things absolutely worst for them. These things such as money, power, distinction, and longer life are amongst the rewards most men would hope to get out of life and I believe Hardy did not want them.