He is known for including in his poems. John Crowe Ransom died in his sleep in Gambier, Ohio in 1974.
In Here Lies a Lady Ransom writes about the death of a women. The first stanza describes her appearance, class, and relationships. .
Here lies a lady of beauty and high degree.
Of chills and fever she died, of fever and chills,.
The delight of her husband, her aunt, and infant of three,.
And of medicos marveling sweetly on her ills. .
"Here lies- in the first sentence tells us that the women is dead and probably already buried in the grave yard. "Of beauty and high degree- tells us that the woman was beautiful and probably a wealthy member of the upper class. He tells us that she died of a fever, which was common in 1923, unlike today. The woman was loved and survived by her husband, her aunt, and her three year old infant. "The delight- helps us understand her positive impact on her family. Ransom hints that the woman was not very old since she died when her aunt was alive and her child was only three years old. She was probably in her early 30's or late 20's when she passed. .
For either she burned, and her confident eyes would blaze, .
And her fingers fly in a manner to puzzle their heads ".
What was she making? Why, nothing; she sat in a maze.
Of old scraps of laces, snipped into curious shreds ".
The first line of the second stanza describes her attitude and desire toward her life. She was focused and confident in what she did. Her "eyes would blaze- leads us to believe that she was burning with desire and enthusiasm as she worked. The second line tells us she worked quickly but what she was doing was not clear to any observers. She seemed to concentrate on her goal and worked diligently to achieve it. The third line confirms that others were confused by what she was actually working on. They could only see that she was working rapidly with scraps and shreds to make something.
