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8.5
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(35
votes)
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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 be,
Much pleasure, then from thee much more must flow;
And soonest our best men with thee do go--
Rest of their bones and souls' 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
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Read poems about / on: sleep, death, fate, war
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Anjali Mandokhot
(12/3/2008 9:34:00 PM) |
death they say is the ultimate truth...but then death can only come to life.....its existence depends solely on life..and that is a bigger truth...that death is a slave to life......there is fighting spirit in this poem...that defies death.....its inspiring to start with.....
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Brenna Prentice
(12/3/2008 7:22:00 PM) |
Poetry is a form of art, whether it is depressing, cheerful, or saddening. The people that make the choices probably choose poems that are not read often. We should broaden our perspective on all poems and not stick to the 'happy' poems
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Letna Davis
(12/3/2008 7:05:00 PM) |
NOT ONLY IS IT DEPRESSING THAT THIS IS THE POEM OF THE DAY, BUT COME ON WHO MAKE THESE PICK, BE TRUE TO THE ART, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD.
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Michael Pruchnicki
(12/3/2008 11:21:00 AM) |
'Death will die when there is no poverty, ' he says! Not John Donne, of course, who lived in a real world and wrote poetry that has resonated with readers through the years since the 17th century. Leave it to a 21st century dolt who signs off as 'Is It Poetry' to write such drivel.
Donne's 'Holy Sonnet' is an apostrophe to Death, a personification of the fate all mortals must suffer. There is no if, and, or but, except that in this case as Donne portrays it, Death is really a slave to all the causes, from war or murder to chance illnesses that carry us off one by one, or by the battalions, it little matters.
The sonnet carries the implication in its title (though modern readers usually refer to the poem by its first line, 'Death, Be Not Proud') , which is 'Holy Sonnet, ' suggesting that the theme is metaphysical! And that is what Donne and others like Carew, Herbert, Lovelace et al, were called by the great Samuel Johnson in his LIVES OF THE POETS - 'metaphysical poets'!
There is no creed, instead there is a 'metaphysical conceit' woven throughout the poem, a pretense that Death as Donne personifies it were a real mortal like us subject in the end to annihilation in the grave!
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Is It poetry
(12/3/2008 7:27:00 AM) |
Death will die when there is no poverty, hunger the mistaken belife that greed is need Mighty is the belife in bringing forth new life to prove this creed....Hello...
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Bridget Ntuli
(10/29/2004 9:26:00 AM) |
This poem reminds me as a reader that death is just for a little while. He gives the impression that he believes in the second coming of Chirst where everyone dead sould will wake up eternally and there shall be no death. He says to death, it should not be proud because in the end it will be defeated and life or rather living will prevail...that it is only for a little while.
Somehow it is motivating to people who are scared of death like me, though you do have to ask yourself a question whether you will live eternally or burn in hell (of course it depends on religous beliefs) , I am praying for the former.
This is great poem, you can actually feel the anger in Donne's voice...Death, thou shalt die! and he is very sarcastic too...From Rest and Sleep, which but thy picture be,
Much pleasure, then from thee much more must flow;
Could it be that he is saying one should not be scared of death, as it is the almost the same as resting and sleeping so death should be more enjoyable? ?
It is lovely poem and would recommend anyone to read it....! ! !
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