16 Sep: Holy Sonnet X "Death, be not proud" by John Donne


Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.
Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

1 comment:

  1. It's funny how the narrator personified Death just to kill Death off in the end.

    The narrator speaks to death, is really speaking to the reader that their fear of death is not worthy because once you die death no longer exists. I like that idea, I never thought of it that way. Death still exists for everyone else living, until they too die.

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