Death Be Not Proud Poem by John Donne
Death Be Not Proud
Death be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not soe,
For, those, whom thou think'st, thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill mee.
From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures bee,
Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee doe goe,
Rest of their bones, and soules deliverie.
Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poyson, warre, and sicknesse dwell,
And poppie, or charmes can make us sleepe as well,
And better then thy stroake; why swell'st thou then?
One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.
This poem is one I had a reading when I did my +2. Now I see this with a different eye... It is so deep in sense, so great in style and so amazing as a whole!
It's about how even though we die physically, our souls still live on forever. Death can never, ever take our souls and spirits away, and so It/He should 'be not proud.' Great poem; I liked it even though it took me a while to decipher ye olde spelling! : -)
I like this poem because it reminds me of John Gunther's book about his son who died of brain cancer 'Death Be Not Proud' -a very moving poem with a lot of meaning and depth-
But that poem has nothing to do with this one. This is pretty shallow.
Most beautiful Classic Poem Of The Day by John Donne, concluding firmly that human must not be afraid of death. Only John Donne could write this in is own style, Full Stars
My Congratulations goes to the family of the late great Poet John Donne.The Classic Poem Of The Day, most deserving!
A poem that deserves high honours and full stars.
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12/12/2023 4:53:24 AM # 1.0.0.1119
Well...I'm a fan and advocate of poetry written according to Wordsworth's ideals, outlined in his 'Preface to the Lyrical Ballads.' This poem is the farthest thing from that. Poetry should be written in every day language, and strike a note with the reader allowing him to relate to it, while still being able to get the author's point across...this poem doesn't give me any sense of familiarity and is by no means conversational. Give me Dover Beach over this any day.