What is an epitaph definition. 19th century in Europe

An epitaph is a statement written on the occasion of a death and usually inscribed on a gravestone. Traditionally, epitaphs are written in poetic form, but there are also those written in prose. Most often, the epitaph is written by relatives or loved ones of the deceased, in some cases it is composed by the person himself before death, sometimes religious texts are applied to the tombstone. Epitaphs honor the deceased, describe details of his biography or merits, often relatives express their love and respect for the deceased in them, sometimes they contain latest glory deceased or an ironic statement.

The tradition of epitaphs has existed for many centuries, and during this time it has grown into a whole genre with its own canons and rules. " Memento mori“, which means “remember death,” is a common theme in classical epitaphs. Most often, gravestone inscriptions addressed a “traveler” or wanderer” walking along a cemetery or road (in the old days they were often buried by the side of the road). Through the epitaph, the deceased enters into a dialogue with the reader, urging him to stop, learn something about the deceased and think about the inevitable end life path. This tradition brought with it stable expressions, which later migrated to poetry: “Stop, traveler!” (Sta, viator!), “Stop” (Siste gradum), “He who reads” (Qui legis), “He is buried here” (Hic iacet).

Over time, the genre changed: in late antiquity, riddles were sometimes written on tombstones, asking people to guess the name of the deceased; in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, epitaphs were more reminiscent of laudatory odes; in the 18th century, funeral texts became mundane and more reminiscent of a list of relatives of the deceased. IN mid-19th centuries, instead of epitaphs, short inscriptions with the name and years of life of the deceased began to be written more often. In the second half of the 20th century, the genre of epitaphs regained popularity, and short phrases and poems again appeared on tombstones - touching or mournful, instructive or solemn, sometimes ironic.

Epitaphs - the history of the genre

Ancient Greece is considered to be the birthplace of the epitaph. The name of the genre comes from Greek wordἐπιτάφιος (epitaphios), which literally means “above the grave” – in ancient Greece It was a common custom to pronounce funeral speeches at the funerals of warriors. Over time, words of farewell began to be said over graves. ordinary citizens, and then began to carve a funeral speech on the gravestone. This tradition dates back to the dawn of Greek civilization - there is mention of this ritual in the Iliad, where the Trojan hero Hector speaks of his epitaph. The oldest epitaph that has come down to us was created in the 5th century. b.c.e. by the great poet Simonides of Keos, and it is dedicated to the Greek soldiers who fell in the battle with the Persians at Thermopylae:

The Greek tradition of epitaph spread to Judea and Rome, where it became part of Christian culture. The genre was so firmly rooted that even when the culture of Antiquity was forgotten, people continued to dedicate poems to the dead. But not only the Greeks and Christians tried to preserve the memory of those who died in stone. Grave inscriptions were known in the ancient cultures of Babylon and Persia, and in Egypt they were a very important part of the entire funeral rite.

In the Middle Ages, the level of culture and education decreased significantly, and therefore only the highest nobility and clergy could afford epitaphs. In those days, tombstone inscriptions were composed for kings, members of their families and closest associates. By the time late Middle Ages and the beginning of the Renaissance, the situation changed, as the level of literacy among the nobility and the merchant class increased. Interest in antiquity grew, and along with it the desire for luxury, and therefore tombstones with epitaphs of dozens or even hundreds of lines became an invariable attribute of many necropolises. By the modern era one could find funeral texts of various kinds. The graves of scientists were decorated with short, thoughtful sayings, nobles and statesmen preferred solemn verses, while merchants were inclined to list the relatives of the deceased and his merits. Sometimes even monarchs practiced writing epitaphs - for example, Empress Catherine II the Great wrote a humorous auto-epitaph for herself.

In the first quarter of the XIX centuries, epitaphs were a popular genre of poetry, and fictitious (as they would now say “fake”) were published in literary magazines,. By the middle of the 19th century, interest in the gravestone word in the educated community began to decline, but the spread of literacy led to the fact that more and more ordinary people began to order epitaphs for the graves of their loved ones. They were often written in prose and were much more ironic than the gravestone inscriptions of previous centuries.

Epitaphs came to Russia quite late - in the 17th century. The first known Russian epitaph dates back to 1681 - a 50-line verse written by the monk Herman on the grave of Patriarch Nikon. Subsequently, epitaphs gained popularity in Russian Empire. Among the authors of the epitaphs were the poets G.R. Derzhavin and N.I. Gnedich, M.Yu. Lermontov and A.S. Pushkin. The second half of the 19th century was marked by the displacement of this poetic genre in favor of mourning poems. In the USSR, epitaphs were not widely used and remained rather the prerogative of honored figures of the country and special memorials. One of the most famous epitaphs of times Soviet Union carved on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier: “ your name unknown, your feat is immortal.” In the 90s Since the last century, interest in epitaphs has begun to grow again - now 10-15% of burials have them, and their popularity continues to grow.

Epitaphs on the graves of great people

Curious epitaphs

Modern epitaphs on graves in Russia

There are even inscriptions on areas reserved for future burial

The term "epitaph" comes from the Greek epitaphios - gravestone. An epitaph is an inscription on monuments, which is often written in poetic form. In the epitaph, people express their emotions and feelings associated with loss loved one. There are also epitaphs in which the deceased himself allegedly addresses passers-by, such as “Wait, passerby!...”.

The ancient Greeks called the speech that was read over the coffin an epitaph; later, an epitaph came to be understood as a funeral inscription written on a stone. Nowadays, the epitaph can be distinguished in separate genre poetry. For example, in Japan, writing epitaphs has been elevated to the level of an art. Tombstone inscriptions in this country are distinguished by their brevity, impeccable laconism and traditional Japanese imagery. Here is an example of a Japanese epitaph: “It is too late to cover a gravestone with a warm blanket.”

Rice. 1 Church of John the Baptist

In Kerch, in the Church of John the Baptist there is one of the most significant cultural heritage collections of various antique tombstones. A visit to this church becomes an event that is forever etched in the memory. A special energy emanates from the epitaphs located in the church, and the hum of footsteps when moving from stone to stone creates a special atmosphere.

Rice. 2 epitaph

Although the art of epitaph originated in Ancient Greece, the first examples of gravestone inscriptions appeared earlier. For example, the ancient Egyptians painted funeral sarcophagi. In addition to information about the deceased, there were also lines on the sarcophagi dedicated to the buried person.

The ancient Jews also had a tradition of leaving funeral inscriptions.

Rice. 3 epitaph with drawing

This type of art also existed among the Slavs, but it became widespread later. Before inscriptions were written on tombstones, white blank slabs were common. For example, the oldest such burial was found in the Moscow Kremlin (XIII century). After a while, an ornament in the form of circles appeared on the white slabs different sizes. And after some time, epitaphs began to be applied to tombstones.

Rice. 4 poetic epitaph

Interesting examples of epitaphs are characteristic of graves famous people: officials, military leaders, church ministers and writers who are buried in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. There are a huge number of epitaphs that were written by great poets, as well as ruling persons. There are also ignorant tombstones in history, which most often belong to merchants.

Although the epitaph is far from a humorous genre, the inscriptions on some tombstones make you smile. Of course, it’s good when, despite what has happened in life tragic event, I have the strength to come up with something fun and life-affirming.

Rice. 5 epitaph-address

The epitaph was the predecessor of the epigram. What was the epigram? An epigram was practically no different from an epitaph; it was a similar inscription on a statue, stone, or deity, applied to honor the memory of the deceased. Over time, such inscriptions were shortened, turning into summary life experience and the path of man, a kind of outcome. Later, satirical everyday sketches began to appear, which became an epigram in the usual way. modern man form.

An interesting reverse example can be observed when the epigram turns to the epitaph for help and acts as a convenient form for expressing thoughts. It is not uncommon for epigrams or even autoepigrams to appear on tombstones.

The epigram genre reached its peak in France in the 16th century. Over time, it was adopted by the literature of various other countries.

"Black English humor» in its content has similar features with a literary epigram that expresses a clear, paradoxical irony over the rigorous and most terrible thing in the life of every person. The epigram in England quickly penetrated public life.

Thus, an epitaph is one of the best semantic options for honoring the memory of the deceased. With the help of an epitaph, you can forever leave a mark in the memory of descendants.

Epitaph.ru - these are ideas for a unique author's epitaph loved ones, as well as thousands of ready-made options. Put the best ones, in your opinion, in “Favorites” and consult with your family. In the address (URL) of the link to YOUR FAVORITES All the examples you set aside are encoded.

Epitafii.ru: how to use the site

"Epitaphii.ru" is the most complete collection of epitaphs in Russian on the Internet. All entries are categorized by person/addressee, that is, to whom they are assigned:

• woman,
• to a man
• parents,
• father,
• mom, etc.

and also by shape/type:

• religious,
• secular,
• in verse,
• brief,
• on behalf of the deceased, etc.

To sort epitaphs by person or type, select the appropriate category from the left navigation column. Also on the top panel there is a search form by number or text of epitaphs, where you can find an entry, containing one word or another, for example, “sorrow”, “worthy”, “sky”, etc.

On the pages of the Epitafia.ru website you can find, first of all, ideas, which most accurately convey the personality traits of the deceased or the attitude of relatives or friends towards him. Having found a suitable idea, you, as a rule, can easily replace a couple of words in the text and adapt the epitaph to your case yourself. But no one is stopping you from using the found epitaph and in its original form, as is. Many entries on the site are in the public domain, and those unique ones that were written or adapted by the editorial staff can also be used in any way, except for mass copying on thematic sites.

A “heart” is depicted next to each epitaph. Click on it and this epitaph (see upper right corner of the site) . By looking through epitaphs from various sections and putting them aside, you form my own collection . From “Favorites” you can remove unnecessary ones. What will remain in the “Favorites” send to relatives for advice. To do this, click on the rectangle with an arrow in the upper right corner and get the address. All epitaphs you have set aside will be encoded in the resulting URL.

IMPORTANT!!! By changing the contents of “Favorites”, this address will also change. Therefore, every time you change your personal collection, get a new link in the upper right corner and submit it again.

It’s good that in this difficult hour for you, Epitaph.ru helped you in some way.

Epitaph is...

Word, term "epitaph"(literally from Greek - “tombstone”), today it is understood in several meanings:
- short inscription on the monument, tombstones;
- short farewell speech, voiced at a funeral or when commemorating the deceased;
- specific literary genrebrief commendation public speech ;
- deceased , for example, epigraph or epilogue.

In relation to practice funeral services in Russia, short epitaphs are used, for the most part, when decorating monument, tombstone at the grave. And more detailed ones, often in poetic form - in ritual paraphernalia- on wreath ribbons, on invitations to funeral services, etc., as well as in printed or online (Internet) obituaries - pages in memory of the deceased.

What is "EPITAPH"? How to spell given word. Concept and interpretation.

EPITAPH EPITAPH - a memorial inscription on a tombstone (?????????? - tombstone): limited by the smallness of the gravestone, addressed, in most cases, to the “passer-by”, i.e. hurrying by - therefore, of necessity, it is laconic and clear. Changing from the stone and iron of the tombstone to a paper sheet, transforming into a special literary form, the epitaph, nevertheless, retains its original brevity there, as if incised and lapidary in style (see the word “laconicism”), as well as a stereotypical appeal to the “passer-by”. If a book epitaph, which only by tradition refers to the ordinary reader as a “passer-by,” cannot be an example of complete poetic creativity, since it is aimed not at what was created by the poet, but at a real person given to him, then on the other hand, an ordinary cemetery memorial inscription is often not without the rudiments creativity, if only because it always turns to a “real” being only after it has ceased to really exist. A simple, for example, sanctified by antiquity, rule of cemetery epitaph, prescribing “de mortuis aut bene, aut nihil dicere” logically leads to the emergence of a special “cemetery poetics”, requiring (and not always unsuccessfully) to build “ positive image"of a person, through a witty deprivation of ordinary everyday light and shadow. The difficulties that Dostoevsky complained about (see “Correspondence”) in creating an “absolutely positive type” (Prince Myshkin) are probably understandable to cemetery epitaphists; of course, their works, glorifying any dead person, are artificial, but also “praiseworthy odes” (epinikia), written by genuine poets to true heroes, are also, in most cases, artificial: this, however, does not give the right to consider this type of creativity apoetic. Special artisans who write memorial verses and sayings (their existence, like the existence of hired “laments”, is beyond doubt), of course, are helped by the poetry of the cemetery itself: some - Rest in peace, dear friend. Sprinkling your ashes with tears, And I from all the vanities - I'm waiting for the time - to be with you, taken out of context, excluded from the cemetery fence, completely powerless and elementary naive - but surrounded by crosses, inside the fence, these verses receive a certain tone, turning in almost verse. Cemetery, i.e. The true epitaph is broader and more varied in its methods than the book. The book, with extremely rare exceptions, always addresses the deceased; the cemetery inscription is directed either: a) to the deceased, or b) on behalf of the deceased to the living (most often, again, to a “passer-by”), or c) on behalf of the stone itself or to the one lying under it, or to those still walking by. Examples: a) “And you are in the land of the living.” (Simonov Monastery, 1834). “Like a lily withered in the summer days its beauty“So you, oh daughter, amidst flattering hopes, died to my sorrow.” (Danilov Monastery, 1834). “Come tutti i delicati fiori appassiscon al caldo sole e cercan l"ombra e la pace“ (“like all delicate flowers, you left the heat of the sun, seeking shade and peace,” Campo Santo in Venice). b) Passer-by, you you go, But you will lie down like me. Sit down and rest on a stone with me; Pluck a little piece of grass And remember about fate, - I’m at home... you’re a guest: Think about yourself (Volkovo Cemetery in St. Petersburg). ordinary quotations should also be included, forcing the grave of the poet and writer to repeat the words of the person buried in it. See, for example, the grave of G. Heine (Paris, Montmarte Cemetery), A. Musset (Paris Cemetery); N. A. Panova (Volkovo Kl.; Literat. Mostki): My whole life is in literature; literature is my life.” c) “A voice coming from the tombstone: oh, you who walk by and look at the tombs, come closer; I will also read you my poems: The body that I hide in this place...”, etc. (Donskoy Monastery, 1896). surfaces. Cross tablets marked with dates from the last 20-30 years are usually inexpressive and deader than the dead buried under them: the ancient cemetery pathos degenerates, further losing the long-note ornateness that replaced the early XIX V. real “poetry of the grave”, not alien to the 18th century. (for example: “From where I saw the day of non-vespers light.” Superscription to Prince Golitsyn. Passion Monastery. 1749. Or: “Watching for the morning, night overtook me.” Holy Cross Monastery. 1725). The words of the cross are, undoubtedly, in a significant number of cases, driven by a genuine feeling of grief, but they fit into some kind of scribbles of melancholy. Simple tombstone statistics might show that the phenomenon of expressive speech is extremely rare, and that in a thousand attempts only one leads to even partial success. But if individual experiences of cemetery epitaphs are dim and confused, then the special national and religious epigraphic canons, which have stood in time and created by the addition of many individual efforts, are much more concise and brighter: for example, in the Italian (Catholic) cemetery on almost every cross there is a “date” fiori e prece" or "fiori e lacrime" the deceased asks for "flowers and prayers" or "flowers and tears." The purely literary epitaph initially appears as a rival to the funeral plaque. Epitaphs of Simonides (5th century BC) were engraved on tombstones, but some versions of them and imitations of other poets ended up only in epigrammatic collections, which at one time were in great fashion. A literary epitaph, striving for greater dramatization, usually changes “he” to “you”, but retains the form of a distich. Good tradition necropolis, which requires de mortuis bene dicere and is alien to literary customs, is immediately distorted: the epitaph of a satyr appears, replacing the concept of “dead” with the concept of the spiritually stupefied (see Pushkin). The epitaph, as a privileged form, has always been put forward by romanticism, which loves to dwell on the line between death and life. Another great pioneer of romanticism, W. Shakespeare, gives examples of his passion for epitaphs (see “Timon of Athens,” “Hamlet,” and many others). In eras when epitaphs were carried beyond the fence of cemeteries, the production of writers very soon outstrips the production of death. As a result, lifetime epitaphs arise, most often in the form of an “epitaph to oneself.” This kind of work immortalizes the meaning of the epitaph, as purely artistic technique: no “nature”, until it is immobilized in “morte”, can give its artistic display(“nature-morte”); no event, until it calms down and goes (“obiit” in the language of the old tombs) into the past, can be taken into the epic; and a person, as an image, can become a subject (subjectum) of creative judgment not before he falls under the epitaph, or only when, by the power of poetic imagination, he is “isolated” (to use the term of Haman’s aesthetics) from life, taken beyond its boundaries, excluded from fluid, living “today” (on ancient Moscow tombstones: “having finished the flow... and buried here”) and buried in a book. In this sense, epitaphism is a factor in any artistic-objectifying creativity - and Petrarch, who even during Laura’s life wrote a sonnet on her death (see Sonnet 193), - perhaps, as a person, violated good morals, but as a poet he only obeyed one from the basic laws of creativity, according to which the image begins to fully live only after the material substrate of the image has disappeared. S. Krzhizhanovsky.

EPITAPH- (Greek ?????????) - gravestone inscription. The appearance of E. dates back to remote antiquity. In ancient... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

EPITAPH- (from the Greek epitaphios - gravestone) gravestone inscription, mostly poetic: sky... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

EPITAPH- EPITAPH, epitaphs, w. (from Greek epitaphios - gravestone) (book). Gravestone inscription.... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

EPITAPH- and. 1. Gravestone inscription. 2. A literary work written in connection with someone. death... Efremova's Explanatory Dictionary

EPITAPH- EPITAPH (from the Greek epitaphios - gravestone), gravestone inscription, mainly poetic; ...Modern encyclopedia

EPITAPH- EPITAPH (from the Greek epitaphios - gravestone) - a gravestone inscription, mainly poetic; in...

Finding out what an epitaph is is not difficult: it is known that in Ancient Greece this was originally the name for a funeral speech, and then for a gravestone inscription. The word literally means "above the grave." Some Belarusian researchers from the city of Grodno, working on epitaphs of the 19th and early 20th centuries, note that this term came into the Russian language from French. The epitaph is characterized by the fact that it must short form reflect the meaning of life lived. People think about their death and their loved ones. There are few people who have never thought about this. Sometimes a person wants a certain memory to remain about him.

There was a time when there were no cemeteries, and people usually had burial plots near their family homes. These graves were marked with untreated stones, wood, or some kind of heavy object (apparently to prevent resurrection). It is believed that the tombstone originated from the Jewish custom of placing stones as a way to honor the deceased. This custom, in turn, was inspired by an incident: a Jew broke the Sabbath and considered himself guilty of this act; later he was forced to do so. After much thought, he decided that after his death, everyone passing by his grave should throw a stone. And the tradition of placing tombstones became popular.

Traditions in Europe

First known facts this activity was established around the 6th century. Then lived Simonides of Kegos, who sang of the dead Greeks who won the victory over the Persians. Most likely, speeches of praise to the dead were written before him, but Simonides was the first to leave a clear mark. After him, this type of texts developed in Ancient Greece. Example 1 of an ancient Greek epitaph that has survived to this day: “You pass the grave of Battus’ son, traveler. He knew how to compose songs, and sometimes he couldn’t get bored drinking wine.” In contrast to ordinary residents, monuments and epitaphs to people who were different from others during their lifetime are extremely interesting. ordinary people. For example, at the grave of the mathematician, engineer and physicist Archimedes in the 3rd century. BC e. a ball was carved on a marble slab, which in turn was inscribed in a cylinder, and the author’s proof of the exact relationship between the volumes of these figures was given. It is surprising why Archimedes wanted to record this particular fact, because a lot of other interesting discoveries were made.

Closer to the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, one can notice that the traditions of burials and epitaphs are developing and transforming.

Florentine poet

During the Renaissance, in the wake of interest in Ancient Greece, sayings written in Latin became especially popular. Thus, the tomb of the immortal in the works of Dante can be found in the church of Florence. “The sovereign’s rights, the heavens, the waters of Phlegethont, he sang as he walked through his earthly vale. Now my soul has gone to a better world and is blissful, contemplating its Creator among the luminaries...” - the inscription contains. It is worth noting that Dante Alighieri himself was never there. He couldn't be in good relations with the then ruling Medici, and was expelled to the north of Italy, where he was buried.

Turkic commander and Italian inventor

The great conqueror Tamerlane lived like a warrior and was buried like a warrior. The inscription in his tomb in Samarkand says that if he were alive, the whole world would tremble. It turned out that such an epitaph terrified his enemies even after the death of the commander, who did not touch his mausoleum. How more people made a longer list of his merits and achievements during his lifetime, the more defiantly one word looks as an epigram. Of course, the emphasis on this word is very strong, so it should express everything. "Leonardo" - this inscription, even today, really says it all. Modest and at the same time defiant. Of course, this 1 word was written on the grave of the great Italian da Vinci. The challenge is that the privilege not to indicate one’s family name (surname) was and remains only with monarchs and heads of national churches.

Many epitaphs are a brief account of a person's choice of profession or marital status.

19th century in Europe

The development of public cemeteries in Europe can be traced back to the 19th century, when a large increase in population began to be observed. Thus, in England, during the reign of Queen Victoria (2nd half of the 19th century), cemeteries often began to resemble parks. They contained lavishly decorated tombstones with different symbols, illustrations and sculptures:

• angels of death;
• star of David;
• pigeon;
• Egyptian symbol Ankh;
• eye of Horus;
• image of a weeping willow;
• horseshoes;
• swords.

These symbols meant religious beliefs, social class, profession and a number of other aspects of the deceased’s life. Traditions were interesting not only in Europe, but also in Asia: samurai, before voluntarily leaving life, as a rule, left a poem before this own composition. Here is one of them:

• Like a paper kite
• The soul is torn
• In the wind.
• Traditions in Russia

If Ancient Egypt And Ancient Greece may argue about where epitaphs appeared earlier, then in relation to Russia we can say with confidence: this tradition came quite late. In the 16th century appears first in this genre literary creativity court poet Sylvester Medvedev. After him, Feofan Prokopovich adopted a unique literary standard. Unlike European and American traditions, epigrams with political witticisms never took root in the Russian Empire. But there is a wide spread of gravestone inscriptions for clergy, which represented track record. It contained noteworthy deeds of the deceased. Early Christian tombstones often included the exact number of years, months, and days a person had lived (sometimes even seconds). On epitaphs of a later time for people with ecclesiastical rank, indicated the period in which the minister lived in this rank. The tradition spread widely, most likely, after the 18th century.

Changing traditions

And the rule of indicating a large list of deeds and regalia on tombstones was changed by commander Suvorov himself. Once examining the burial place of 1 Austrian military man, he was surprised by the number of words and bequeathed to write only 3 words: “Here lies Suvorov.” The will was not immediately executed, and the inscription turned out to be much longer. But over time, the grandson of the great commander ensured that his grandfather’s will was carried out. One cannot remain indifferent to the despair of Nina Griboyedova, who was widowed at 16 years old. Inscription on gravestone Alexandra Griboyedov, author immortal comedy“Woe from Wit” reads: “Your mind and deeds are immortal in Russian memory, but why did my love survive you?” But representatives of the Romanov dynasty, which ruled for several centuries, did not have a tradition of placing epitaphs on burials; this has been the custom since the first Tsar Michael.

As literary work The epitaph originates in Russia around the 19th century. It is marked in Russian poetry by an unprecedented interest in describing death; it has become acceptable to express grief in this form for the deceased. Both Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov and Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin had such works. Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov wrote a poem called “Epitaph” on the death of his father. Already at the beginning of the 20th century. Ivan Alekseevich Bunin will write a work similar in style, “The Inscription on the Gravestone”

These days

There is no epitaph on the grave of Sergei Yesenin, but lines from immortal poems continue to be quoted on large quantities gravestones all over the country, and this suggests that he was and remains one of the favorite Russian poets. Some people think that a sign on a grave is a place for a competition of wits, which is why there are funny and strange epitaphs:

1. Sleep well, dear husband, candidate of economic sciences.
2. She lived in the world for 82 years, 6 months and 4 days without a break.

Abroad, they also don’t forget about humor. For example, a comedian from Ireland could not change himself and bequeathed to write: “I told you that I was sick.” Compared to previous examples, the statement on Frank Sinatra’s grave looks truly optimistic: “The best is yet to come!”

Perhaps trying to write an epitaph for yourself is a good reason to understand the meaning of your life and engage in a useful spiritual exercise. To do this, you may need to go to a quiet, secluded place away from the bustle of the city to indulge in reflection. As the inscription on the 1st grave of the old Japanese cemetery says: “Bad deeds are dust for eternity, good deeds are also dust. But how do you want to be remembered?