# XXXII explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Ambrose Bierce.

## What happens

A satirical epitaph for Fred Emerson Brooks, a poet whose work was more notable for its quantity and volume than its quality, suggesting he was buried with his writing tools as the poet-elect of Judgment Day.

## Themes in this chapter

### Art and Criticism

The epitaph critiques the poet's work as deafening and mediocre, highlighting the gap between artistic ambition and public reception.

### Mortality and Regret

The poem reflects on death and the legacy of a poet buried with his tools, awaiting Judgment Day.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown

The narrator delivers the epitaph for Fred Emerson Brooks.

## Key lines

> Here lie the remains of Fred Emerson Brooks, A poet, as everyone knew by his looks Who hadn’t, unluckily, met with his books.

Fred Emerson Brooks is buried here; he looked like a poet, though those who hadn't read his work might not have known it.

_Introduces the poet with ironic praise._

> On civic occasions he sprang to the fore With poems consisting of stanzas three score. The men whom they deafened enjoyed them the more.

He eagerly recited sixty-stanza poems at public events, and the audience, though deafened, pretended to enjoy them.

_Satirizes the poet's verbose and unwelcome contributions._

> In this peaceful spot, so the grave-diggers say, With pen, ink and paper they laid him away⁠— The Poet-elect of the Judgment Day.

The gravediggers buried him with his writing tools, calling him the poet chosen for Judgment Day.

_Concludes with a darkly humorous image of the poet's eternal readiness._

## Links

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