The Tomb of Ilaria Giunigi by Edith Wharton
The story revolves around the tomb of Ilaria Giunigi, a beautiful woman from the Renaissance era. After her death, her grieving husband commissions an artist to create a perfect sculpture of her on her bier, capturing her peaceful and serene appearance. The poem describes Ilaria's transformation into a work of art, where her soul is reborn in marble, symbolizing the power of art to transcend mortality.
By Edith Wharton · First published 1904 · Genre: Poetry, Historical, Romance · 165 words
First lines
ILARIA, thou that wert so fair and dear / That death would fain disown thee, grief made wise / With prophecy thy husband's widowed eyes, / And bade him call the master's art to rear / Thy perfect image on the sculptured bier, / With dreaming lids, hands laid in peaceful guise / Beneath the breast that seems to fall and rise, / And lips that at love's call should answer "Here!"
First-born of the Renascence, when thy soul / Cast the sweet robing of the flesh aside, / Into these lovelier marble limbs it stole, / Regenerate in art's sunrise clear and wide, / As saints who, having kept faith's raiment whole, / Change it above for garments glorified.
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The Tomb of Ilaria Giunigi is listed on Textopian as a poem by Edith Wharton, dated 1904 CE.
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- Work type: Poem
- Author: Edith Wharton
- Date: 1904 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Historical, Romance, Tragedy
- Length: 165 words
- Structure: 1 section, 2 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Difficult (College Level)
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Genres
- Poetry — The work is written in verse, with a structured rhyme scheme and rhythm, typical of poetry.
- Historical — The work references historical figures and events, specifically the Renascence and Ilaria Giunigi, indicating a historical genre.
- Romance — The work contains themes of love and loss, as seen in the husband's grief and the romantic language used, suggesting a romance genre.
- Tragedy — The work deals with themes of death and grief, indicative of a tragedy genre.
Tags
Gothic Fiction · Mystery · Romance · Supernatural · Italian Setting · 19th Century · Historical Fiction · Female Protagonist · Wealthy Family · Ancient Tomb · Family Secrets · Forbidden Love