# XXVI explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Ambrose Bierce.

## What happens

A brief epitaph for Reuben Lloyd, the Templars' Captain-General, noting that he was so formidable that Death only dared to attack him when he was laid on his back.

## Themes in this chapter

### Mortality and Regret

The epitaph directly addresses death and the end of life, highlighting the inevitability of mortality even for the formidable.

## Character check-ins

### Reuben Lloyd

The Templars' Captain-General, whose epitaph is recorded in this chapter.

## Key lines

> Beneath this stone sleeps Reuben Lloyd, Of breath deprived, of sense devoid. The Templars’ Captain-General, he So formidable seemed to be, That had he not been on his back Death ne’er had ventured to attack.

Reuben Lloyd is buried here, dead and senseless. He was such an imposing figure as the Templars' Captain-General that Death would never have dared to confront him unless he was already lying down.

_The epitaph uses humor and hyperbole to emphasize Reuben Lloyd's fearsome reputation._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se/chapters/xxvi
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se/chapters