More than 40 poetic metaphors about death and dying | cake blog (2023)

Talking about death is rarely easy. It can evoke feelings of sadness and make people feel uncomfortable. But the confrontation with death is also inevitable, which is why there are so many metaphors about death.

Go to these sections:

• Funny metaphors for death.
• Sad metaphors of death.
• Metaphors of the death of poetry.
• Shakespeare's death metaphors

Some are funny, others are sad, moving, or poetic. and althoughdeath positivitymeans addressing the issue directly, sometimes it is also a valid option to frame the issue in a metaphor.

If you want to learn the many metaphors for death and dying, the following sentences will help you get started.

Funny metaphors for death.

Humor is one of the best tools people have to navigate discomfort when faced with difficult issues. Sometimes including movie references or brighter tones can even make you feel more comfortable with the idea of ​​death.

And even if you're a casual Monty Python fan, you know how many of these metaphors exist. These are some of the funniest metaphors for death.

1. Redeemed

When life is a casino, dying is like cashing in your chips. This common language related to death puts a positive light on the parting of a loved one. After all, cashing in your chips means you'll go home richer.

2. kicked the bucket

This popular metaphor can sound light-hearted and light-hearted, and is often used that way. But according to many etymologists, it could have much darker roots. However, scientists still cannot agree on the exact origin of the term.

3. Assumed ambient temperature

"Reaching room temperature" is an expression that refers to the cooling process of the body after death.

4. Clog Blast

This may be new to you if you are not familiar with the British languages. To “snap” something means to pawn or sell it. And you don't need clogs (or shoes, for us modern folks) in death.

5. It fell off the shelf

Falling from the perch is an English expression that refers to a bird's perch.

6. Take a nap

Taking a dirty nap is both a humorous euphemism for death and one that puts death in a more positive light. Instead of permanently resting underground, you simply take a "nap."

7. Sleep with the fish

This popular phrase was made famous through hits like The Godfather. And while "sleep with the fishes" often refers to an early death, it can be used for any death.

8. Push Daisies

Raising daisies is another common metaphor with humorous undertones. It refers to someone who was buried with daisies growing on his grave.

9. Six Feet Under

Six feet is the standard depth of a grave in most countries. And while the term itself isn't exactly funny, people often use "six feet under" as a light-hearted euphemism for death.

10. Count the worms

Another expression referring to the final underground resting place, "counting worms," ​​is a less common metaphor for death. "Worms" are a popular recurring theme when it comes to euphemisms about death.

Sad metaphors of death.

While some metaphors for death are fun and joyful, others are sad and reflect the sadness of death. These are some of the metaphors that best convey the melancholy of death and dying.

11. Taking your last breath

When you die, you inevitably take your last breath. For loved ones, the thought of that last breath is painful and leaves a lasting impression.

12. No longer with us

The pain of losing someone we love comes largely from not having that person with us anymore. This apt metaphor refers to the pain of loss.

13. Give up the ghost

When a person dies, they can be seen "giving up the ghost" or releasing their soul. The phrase "give up the ghost" dates back to the King James Bible, which was first printed in the early 17th century.

14. He went west

When the sun goes down, head west. When someone we love dies, like a setting sun, we watch them disappear.

15. I couldn't

"I couldn't" is a common euphemism used to refer to accidental and morbid deaths.

16. scapular

Another metaphor that family members often use when informing each other of the death of a loved one is "escape."

This softer wording can sometimes help to involve both parties in the discussion of the death.

17. Rest in peace

We all hope that when someone we love dies, they rest in peace. That is why this phrase and its acronym “R.I.P.” it's so popular

At the same time, "rest in peace" evokes a deep sense of loss and sadness. The term derives from the Latin expression requiescat in pace, which first appeared on tombstones in the eighth century.

18. Lost

"Losing" someone is perhaps the most common metaphor for death. When someone we love dies, we feel like we have "lost" a part of ourselves.

19. succumbed

Death usually occurs at the end of a long fight against the disease. When someone we love dies after so much fighting, we could say that he has finally "succumbed". The metaphor "succumbed" is also used to refer to sudden or accidental death, as in "succumbed to the cold."

20. Born Sleeping

One of the saddest metaphors for death, "being born in my sleep" is a plaintive euphemism for stillbirth. The term "sleepborn" was much more common before modern medicine greatly reduced infant mortality rates.

Metaphors of the death of poetry.

Poets have the ability to describe things in a way that touches our hearts and souls. Death is one of the most common themes poets address because death is something we all face. These are some of the most beautiful death metaphors of the poets.

21. Started a worm farm

Poetic metaphors about death do not have to be serious or sad. FORKS. Cummings provides the metaphor of "starting a worm farm" in his poem "Nobody Loses All the Time".

22. Join the vast majority

The poet Edward Young first used this expression in the 17th century, when he said that "death unites us with the great majority." But the notion of death as "most" has been around for a long time.

23. Good night

One of the most famous poems about death, Don't Go Gentle Into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas, provides us with this metaphor.

24. Delivery of the soul

John Donne, in his sonnet Death, Be Not Proud, described death as "the rest of your bones and the confinement of your souls".

25. The setting sun passed

Perhaps the most famous poem about death is Because I Couldn't Stop at the Death of Emily Dickinson. In it, Dickinson describes death in various metaphorical terms.

For example: "We passed the cornfields - We passed the setting sun."

26. Ride in a carriage

Another theme of Emily Dickinson's "Because I Couldn't Stop Dying" is the carriage ride. The narrator of this poem drives the chariot, a metaphor for the passage of life into the afterlife, beyond the setting sun and other landmarks that represent the end of life.

27. Settled on Earth

William Cullen Bryant beautifully glossed death as "settled on earth" in his famous poem "Thanatopolis."

28. Past the sandbar

Tennyson, in his eponymous poem, speaks of death as "crossing the bar." Crossing the bar refers to passing over the sandbank that separates the mighty river of life from the vast ocean of death.

29. Between the elms

Thomas Gray directly describes death as "under the elms" in Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard.

30. Crossing the Jordan

The poetic books of the Bible are often overlooked in the world of poetry. But when it comes to metaphors about death, "crossing the Jordan" is a prime example. Crossing the Jordan represents reaching the "Promised Land", which many consider to represent death.

Shakespeare's death metaphors

Shakespeare, one of the most famous authors of all time, never lost his metaphors about death. These are only some of them.

31. Escaped

This simple but powerful metaphor comes from Shakespeare.Cry no more for me (Sonnet 71).

32. Run to the secret house

"Running to the Secret House" is a metaphor for death used by ShakespeareAntony and Cleopatra.

33. Dark Shade

This darker euphemism for death comes from Shakespeare.King Henry VI, Part I

34. Early frost

Some of the most moving images of death in Shakespeare's play, including the "early frost" metaphor of death, come fromRomeo and Juliet.

35. Sleep

and ShakespeareWeiler,We are somewhat reassured by the comforting metaphor of death as sleep when he writes: "Because in this sleep of death..."

36. Disappears in the West

"As after sunset it vanishes in the west..." is a metaphor for death derived from Shakespeare.Macbeth.

37. The Fall Season

Another euphemism for death comes fromMacbethwhen Shakespeare describes the end of life as "the autumn season".

38. Undiscovered Country

emWeiler,Shakespeare aptly describes death as an "unknown land."

39. Twilight of the day

Just as he describes death as "the season of autumn" and "the setting of the sun in the west," Shakespeare describes death in his play as "the dawn of day."Sonnet 73.

40. Scared Owl

Perhaps the most original metaphor for death we get from Shakespeare is his description of death as a "fearful owl" inKing Henry VI, Part I.

how to talk about death

Death metaphors can help us think about death,plans to die, and process the death of our loved ones.

But it's important to remember that sometimes this is the most healing path.discuss deathit's direct Words like "death," "died," and "dying" often help loved ones get past the finality of death.

Fuentes

1. "Give up the definition of ghost language".Grammatiker.grammatiker.com/idiom/give-up-the-fantasma
2. "Join the vast majority."Farlex Idioms Dictionary. 2015.idioms.thefreedictionary.com/join+the+gran+mayoría
3. Thomas, Dylan. "Do not enter gently into this good night."dichter.org.poets.org/poem/do-not-go-sanfte-gute-nacht
4. Dickinson, Emily. "Because I couldn't stop because of death."Poetry Foundation.www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47652/because-i-could-not-stop-for-death-479
5. Bryant, William Cullen. "Tanatopse".poetry foundation.www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/50465/thanatopsis
6. Alfred, Lord Tennyson. "Cross the pole."Poetry Foundation.www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45321/crossing-the-bar
7. Grey, Thomas. "Elegy written in a rural cemetery".Poetry Foundation.www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44299/elegy-write-in-a-country-churchyard
8. Shakespeare, William. "The Complete Works of Shakespeare".die technology,COM.shakespeare.mit.edu/