"Epilogue" was written by the Victorian poet Robert Browning. The poem's speaker is a man at the end of his life who urges his loved ones not to feel sorry for him once he's gone. Ever an optimist, the speaker plans to face death with the same vigor and courage with which he approached life. In addition to being a meditation on death and mourning, "Epilogue" is also a rousing call to maintain hope in the face of adversity. The poem first appeared in Browning's final collection Asolando, published on the day of his own death in 1899.
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The Full Text of “Epilogue”
1At the midnight in the silence of the sleep-time,
2When you set your fancies free,
3Will they pass to where—by death, fools think, imprisoned—
4Low he lies who once so loved you, whom you loved so,
5—Pity me?
6Oh to love so, be so loved, yet so mistaken!
7What had I on earth to do
8With the slothful, with the mawkish, the unmanly?
9Like the aimless, helpless, hopeless, did I drivel
10—Being—who?
11One who never turned his back but marched breast forward,
12Never doubted clouds would break,
13Never dreamed, though right were worsted, wrong would triumph,
14Held we fall to rise, are baffled to fight better,
15Sleep to wake.
16No, at noonday in the bustle of man's work-time
17Greet the unseen with a cheer!
18Bid him forward, breast and back as either should be,
19"Strive and thrive!" cry "Speed,—fight on, fare ever
20There as here!"
The Full Text of “Epilogue”
1At the midnight in the silence of the sleep-time,
2When you set your fancies free,
3Will they pass to where—by death, fools think, imprisoned—
4Low he lies who once so loved you, whom you loved so,
5—Pity me?
6Oh to love so, be so loved, yet so mistaken!
7What had I on earth to do
8With the slothful, with the mawkish, the unmanly?
9Like the aimless, helpless, hopeless, did I drivel
10—Being—who?
11One who never turned his back but marched breast forward,
12Never doubted clouds would break,
13Never dreamed, though right were worsted, wrong would triumph,
14Held we fall to rise, are baffled to fight better,
15Sleep to wake.
16No, at noonday in the bustle of man's work-time
17Greet the unseen with a cheer!
18Bid him forward, breast and back as either should be,
19"Strive and thrive!" cry "Speed,—fight on, fare ever
20There as here!"
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“Epilogue” Summary
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“Epilogue” Themes
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Confronting Death and Grief
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The Value of Hope and Optimism
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Epilogue”
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Lines 1-5
At the midnight in the silence of the sleep-time,
When you set your fancies free,
Will they pass to where—by death, fools think, imprisoned—
Low he lies who once so loved you, whom you loved so,
—Pity me? -
Lines 6-10
Oh to love so, be so loved, yet so mistaken!
What had I on earth to do
With the slothful, with the mawkish, the unmanly?
Like the aimless, helpless, hopeless, did I drivel
—Being—who? -
Lines 11-15
One who never turned his back but marched breast forward,
Never doubted clouds would break,
Never dreamed, though right were worsted, wrong would triumph,
Held we fall to rise, are baffled to fight better,
Sleep to wake. -
Lines 16-20
No, at noonday in the bustle of man's work-time
Greet the unseen with a cheer!
Bid him forward, breast and back as either should be,
"Strive and thrive!" cry "Speed,—fight on, fare ever
There as here!"
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“Epilogue” Symbols
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Midnight and Noonday
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“Epilogue” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Metaphor
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Alliteration
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Anaphora
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Juxtaposition
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Repetition
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“Epilogue” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Fancies
- Slothful
- Mawkish
- Drivel
- Worsted
- Baffled
- Strive
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Epilogue”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“Epilogue” Speaker
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“Epilogue” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “Epilogue”
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More “Epilogue” Resources
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External Resources
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"Epilogue" Aloud — Listen to a reading of "Epilogue."
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Browning's Life and Work — Learn more about Browning's life and how it informed his poetry via the British Library.
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A "Mistaken" Speaker — An article on how scholars have misinterpreted "Epilogue" and its speaker. Browning admitted regretting his word choice and always intended the "you" who is "mistaken" in the poem's second stanza to refer to the reader or audience (rather than Browning himself).
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The Legacy of Robert Browning — Read an essay celebrating the bicentenary of Browning's birth and learn how Browning continues to influence poetry today.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by Robert Browning
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