Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, SOMNUS, by JOHN DENHAM


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

SOMNUS, by             Poem Explanation     Poet Analysis    
First Line: Somnus, the humble god that dwells
Last Line: And both are the same thing at last.
Subject(s): Sleep


Somnus, the humble god that dwells
In cottages and smoky cells,
Hates gilded roofs and beds of down;
And, though he fears no prince's frown,
Flies from the circle of a crown.

Come, I say, thou powerful god,
And thy leaden charming rod,
Dipped in the Lethean lake,
O'er his wakeful temples shake,
Lest he should sleep and never wake.

Nature, alas, why art thou so
Obliged to thy greatest foe?
Sleep, that is thy best repast,
Yet of death it bears the taste,
And both are the same thing at last.




Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...
Home: PoetryExplorer.net