Author: Andreas Gryphius

Year of origin: 1637

Theme: Transience, vanitas motif, search for meaning in the face of death

Stylistic devices: Antithesis, alliteration, metaphor, anaphora

This famous poem exemplifies Baroque poetry and the transience of all earthly things. Gryphius uses numerous opposites to highlight the fragile existence of humanity. The recurring emphasis on the vanity of all things underlines the Baroque idea of vanitas. Metaphors such as “What one builds today, another will tear down tomorrow” convey the insecurity and fleeting nature of existence. The poem calls for focusing on transcendental values, as everything worldly is doomed to decay.