Epitaph to a Dog Epitaph to a Dog "Epitaph to a Dog" (also sometimes referred to as "Inscription on the Monument to a Newfoundland Dog") is a poem by the British poet Lord Byron. It was written in 1808 in honour of his Newfoundland dog, Boatswain, who had just died of rabies. When Boatswain contracted the disease, Byron reportedly nursed him without any fear of becoming bitten and infected. The poem is inscribed on Boatswain's tomb, which is larger than Byron's, at Newstead Abbey, Byron's estate. The sections above the poem form a memorial eulogy to Boatswain, and introduce the poem. They are often
Newfoundland English Newfoundland English - for example, Holyrood becomes “‘Olyrood” and Avondale becomes “H’Avondale” Newfoundland is a rhotic accent like most of North America. In much of Newfoundland, the words "fear" and "fair" are homophones. A similar phenomenon is found in the Norfolk dialect of East Anglia. The merger of diphthongs and to (an example of the line–loin merger) is extensive throughout Newfoundland and is a significant feature of Newfoundland English. Newfoundland English traditionally lacked Canadian raising, however in the generations since its merger with Canada this has changed to some extent. In a move almost certainly taken from Hiberno-English and influenced