The Color of the Grave is Green－
The Outer Grave－I mean－
You would not know it from the Field－
Except it own a Stone－
To help the fond－to find it－[5]
Too infinite asleep
To stop and tell them where it is－
But just a Daisy－deep－
The Color of the Grave is white－[9]
The outer Grave－I mean－
You would not know it from the Drifts－
In Winter－till the Sun－
Has furrowed out the Aisles－[13]
Then－higher than the Land
The little Dwelling Houses rise
Where each－has left a friend－
The Color of the Grave within－[17]
The Duplicate－I mean－
Not all the Snows could make it white－
Not all the Summers－Green－
You've seen the Color－maybe－[21]
Upon a Bonnet bound－
When that you met it with before－
The Ferret－cannot find－
The Outer Grave－I mean－
You would not know it from the Field－
Except it own a Stone－
To help the fond－to find it－[5]
Too infinite asleep
To stop and tell them where it is－
But just a Daisy－deep－
The Color of the Grave is white－[9]
The outer Grave－I mean－
You would not know it from the Drifts－
In Winter－till the Sun－
Has furrowed out the Aisles－[13]
Then－higher than the Land
The little Dwelling Houses rise
Where each－has left a friend－
The Color of the Grave within－[17]
The Duplicate－I mean－
Not all the Snows could make it white－
Not all the Summers－Green－
You've seen the Color－maybe－[21]
Upon a Bonnet bound－
When that you met it with before－
The Ferret－cannot find－
(F.424/J.411)
[1] Grave:: grave digger, also called burying beetle or sexton beetle.
[2] Outer Grave:: outlook of the grave beetle.
[4] Stone:: they will shape the carcass to a ball and cover that with secretions which looked like a stone.
[5] the fond:: those who like beetles.
[6, 7] Too, to, tell:: hard to find these beetles when they are not working.
[8] just, deep:: they bury the carcass ball not very deep.
[9] Grave:: grave digger, nickname of some badgers that burrow for carcasses, hinted by ferret in line 24. Ferret and badger both belong to the weasel family.
[9, 10] white, outer:: color of its fur.
[13, 15] furrowed, Houses:: badgers live in burrows.
[16] friend:: an animal friendly to the environment by cleaning the carcass.
[17] Grave:: the nature of engravings on tomb. Color:: the act, wording to conceal the truth.
[18] Duplicate:: epitaph on paper, not on the tombstone.
[19] Snows, white:: covering words to make the dead innocent.
[20] Summers:: praises of one's best days. Green:: fresh and vigorous.
[21] Color:: general complexion or tone; character, kind (OED 16a).
[22] Bonnet:: a cap to cover one's true self.
[24] Ferret cannot find:: the digger cannot find living carcasses covered by bonnets.
An animal of the badger tribe was brought for our inspection. It is a native of the lower range of hills; and is called by our people the grave-digger, from its habit of burrowing into places where corpses are interred, in order to feed on them. ─ The Private Journal of the Marquess of Hastings (1858)
The Indian badger is found throughout the whole of India, . . . it is accused of digging out dead bodies, and is popularly known as the grave-digger. ─ The Mammals of India (1867)
