The following are examples of the melancholy and despairing spirit often breathed by pagan epitaphs:
PRAEVENERE DIEM VITAE CRVDELIA FATA
ET RAPTAM INFERNA ME POSVERE RATE
HOC LECTO ELOGIO IVVENIS MISERERE IACENTIS
ET DIC DISCEDENS SIT TIBI TERRA LEVIS.
The cruel fates have anticipated the term of life, and placed me, snatched away, in the infernal bark. Having read this elegy pity the fallen youth and say departing, May the earth be light upon thee.
INFANTI DVLCISSIMO QVEM DII IRATI AETERNO SOMNO DEDERVNT—“To a very sweet child, whom the angry gods gave to eternal sleep.” SVSCIPE NVNC CONIVNX SI QVIS POST FVNERA SENSVS DEBITA MANIBVS OFFICIA—“Receive now, O husband, if after death is any consciousness, the rites due to departed spirits.” The hopeless parting of a dying wife is thus expressed: CARE MARITE MIHI DVLCISSIMA NATA VALETE—“O husband, dear to me, and dearest daughter, farewell.” Or more briefly we read, AVE ATQVE VALE—“Hail and farewell.”
Sometimes the desponding view of life is like the bitter experience of the Hebrew moralist, “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity!” One such example reads thus:
DECIPIMVR VOTIS ET TEMPORE FALLIMVR ET MORS