Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, HOLY SONNET: 10, by JOHN DONNE



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HOLY SONNET: 10, by             Poem Explanation     Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Last Line: And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.
Variant Title(s): "sonnet On Death;elegie;death Rebuked;""death Be Not Proud, Though Some Have Called Thee"";
Subject(s): Catholics; Death; Freedom; Immortality; Religion; Social Protest; Victory; Roman Catholics; Catholicism; Dead, The; Liberty; Theology


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.





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