The poem
"Ah, are you digging on my grave, My loved one? -- planting rue?" -- "No: yesterday he went to wed One of the brightest wealth has bred. 'It cannot hurt her now,' he said, 'That I should not be true.'"
"Then who is digging on my grave, My nearest dearest kin?" -- "Ah, no: they sit and think, 'What use! What good will planting flowers produce? No tendance of her mound can loose Her spirit from Death's gin.'"
"But someone digs upon my grave? My enemy? -- prodding sly?" -- "Nay: when she heard you had passed the Gate That shuts on all flesh soon or late, She thought you no more worth her hate, And cares not where you lie.
"Then, who is digging on my grave? Say -- since I have not guessed!" -- "O it is I, my mistress dear, Your little dog , who still lives near, And much I hope my movements here Have not disturbed your rest?"
"Ah yes! You dig upon my grave... Why flashed it not to me That one true heart was left behind! What feeling do we ever find To equal among human kind A dog's fidelity!"
"Mistress, I dug upon your grave To bury a bone, in case I should be hungry near this spot When passing on my daily trot. I am sorry, but I quite forgot It was your resting place."
I feel that it is saying nobody cares about you after you die because it is not the body in the ground that matters but what you did while you were living.
in this poem i think hardy is going to say that the human being will be forgotten as easy as he came to this world there are so much involvement for people that everyone forgets even his most intimate ones.
thomas present anew aspect of live after ones death.she was not remember anymore even from her husband who was married again.it was ironical poem which was mixure with some dramatical action and this poem showed that dogs still are more faithful than humankind even after death.
my favourite
i love this poem very much i think it's very honest hardy wants to tell us that death is the end nobody is going to remember you after you die so you must live your life without thinking in other people's mind's because it won't last
This poem represents the lack of communnication prevaling this period as well as dominating materialism