HOLY SONNET.X. 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 picture[s] 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'rt 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.
John Donne's Holy Sonnet #10 is a poem that turns the tables on most peoples biggest fear. John Donne explains his view on death and why its not as big a deal as some people might think. In the first stanza, John Donne explains that when death does take someones life there teachings in life live on either in pictures or in books. In the second stanza John Donne explains that according to Christianity, after you die you go straight to heaven. So as soon as you die you wake up in paradise for eternity. Although this poem has a dark subject the positive view on it is very invigorating and makes death seem like a good and peaceful thing. This is definitely one of my favorite poems because i agree with its outlook on death; i think that death would be very relaxing.
1 comment:
Nice response to Holy sonnet 10. "Turning the tables on death" nice annology, rather like that description alot. Most christians fear death despite their teachings of a life beyond it. Death is not the end, but just a new beginning according to John Donne. An eternal paradise......yeah enough fantasizing about that. Get that political behavior project done!
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