"SWIFT has sailed into his rest; Savage indignation there Cannot lacerate his breast. Imitate him if you dare, World-besotted traveller; he Served human liberty."
"Here is deposited the body of Jonathan Swift S.T.D. of this Cathedral church the Dean where savage indignation can no longer lacerate his heart. Go, traveler, and imitate, if you can, a valiant champion of manly freedom."
Jonathan Swift's epitaph, composed by himself, is inscribed in Latin on a marble plaque at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin. The epitaph expresses that savage indignation can no longer affect him in death and encourages travelers to imitate his championing of human liberty. Various translations exist, with William Butler Yeats calling it the greatest epitaph in history. Swift's legacy as a satirist is highlighted through his works, particularly 'A Modest Proposal,' which critiques class relations in Ireland.
Read at The New Yorker
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