"Dei Sepolcri" ("Sepulchres") is apoem written by theItalianpoet,Ugo Foscolo, in 1806, and published in 1807. It consists of 295hendecasyllabic verses. Thecarme (as the author defined it) is dedicated to another poet,Ippolito Pindemonte, with whom Foscolo had been discussing the recentNapoleonic law regardingtombs.
The idea behind the poem can be traced to 1804, when theNapoleonic edict ofSaint-Cloud was issued. On September 5, 1806, the edict was applied toItaly. In short, it stated that allburials must take place outside the city walls; that, fordemocratic reasons, the burial monuments must all be of the same size; and that their inscriptions would be controlled by a special commission. The edict's implementation caused Foscolo to meditate upon the nature and philosophy ofdeath.
Irreligious, Foscolo did not share the view of his fellow poetPindemonte, who defended theChristian view, as opposed to the newEnlightenment ideas introduced by theFrench regime. Even so, Foscolo was critical of the decree, mostly for civic reasons; he acknowledges that human beings aspire to transcend death. Tombs, monuments for fallen heroes and virtuous men from the past, may inspire those living today, including artists and poets. He affirmed the value of tombs as memorials to noble souls or bright intellects. Long after themarble monuments are destroyed bytime, those memorialized can survive in artworks they have inspired, and can in turn inspirevirtue in new generations.
