death poem
Dying poet's farewell
A death poem is a brief verse composed in anticipation of one's death, particularly associated with Japanese and other East Asian literary traditions.
Zen monks, samurai, and poets wrote these final statements as meditations on mortality, often with seasonal imagery or paradox: Frost on a summer fan—my borrowed flesh and bone.
The practice reflects viewing death as a culminating moment worthy of artistic expression.
- haikuJapanese seventeen-syllable verse
- farewellLeave-taking expression
- last wordsTerminal utterance
- mortalityState of eventual death
- swan songFinal work or performance
final words · deathbed · requiem · last breath · one breath · zen · samurai · impermanence · cherry blossom · cherry blossoms · floating world · autumn leaves · passing moment · parting · twilight · dissolution · acceptance · letting go