Thomas Hardy

Epitaph

I never cared for Life: Life cared for me,
And hence I owed it some fidelity.
It now says, ‘Cease; at length thou hast learnt to grind
Sufficient toll for an unwilling mind,
And I dismiss thee – not without regard
That thou didst ask no ill-advised reward,
Nor sought in me much more than thou couldst find.’