Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, AN ELEGY UPON THE DEATH OF THE LADY MARKHAM, by JOHN DONNE


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

AN ELEGY UPON THE DEATH OF THE LADY MARKHAM, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: Man is the world, and death the ocean
Last Line: Of such a prey, and to his tryumph adde.
Variant Title(s): Elegy On The Lady Markham


Man is the World, and death the Ocean,
To which God gives the lower parts of man.
This Sea invirons all, and though as yet
God hath set markes, and bounds, twixt us and it,
Yet doth it rore, and gnaw, and still pretend,
And breaks our bankes, when ere it takes a friend.
Then our land waters (teares of passion) vent;
Our waters, then, above our firmament,
(Teares which our Soule doth for her sins let fall)
Take all a brackish tast, and Funerall,
And even these teares, which should wash sin, are sin.
We, after Gods Noe, drowne our world againe.
Nothing but man of all invenom'd things
Doth worke upon itselfe, with inborne stings.
Teares are false Spectacles, we cannot see
Through passions mist, what wee are, or what shee.
In her this sea of death hath made no breach,
But as the tide doth wash the slimie beach,
And leaves embroder'd workes upon the sand,
So is her flesh refin'd by deaths cold hand.
As men of China, 'after an ages stay,
Do take up Porcelane, where they buried Clay;
So at this grave, her limbecke, which refines
The Diamonds, Rubies, Saphires, Pearles, and Mines,
Of which this flesh was, her soule shall inspire
Flesh of such stuffe, as God, when his last fire
Annuls this world, to recompence it, shall,
Make and name then, th'Elixar of this All.
They say, the sea, when it gaines, loseth too;
If carnall Death (the younger brother) doe
Usurpe the body, 'our soule, which subject is
To th'elder death, by sinne, is freed by this;
They perish both, when they attempt the just;
For, graves our trophies are, and both deaths dust.
So, unobnoxious now, she'hath buried both;
For, none to death sinnes, that to sinne is loth,
Nor doe they die, which are not loth to die;
So hath she this, and that virginity.
Grace was in her extremely diligent,
That kept her from sinne, yet made her repent.
Of what small spots pure white complaines! Alas,
How little poyson cracks a christall glasse!
She sinn'd, but just enough to let us see
That God's word must be true, All, sinners be.
Soe much did zeale her conscience rarefie,
That, extreme truth lack'd little of a lye,
Making omissions, acts; laying the touch
Of sinne, on things that sometimes may be such.
As Moses Cherubines, whose natures doe
Surpasse all speed, by him are winged too:
So would her soule, already'in heaven, seeme then,
To clyme by teares, the common staires of men.
How fit she was for God, I am content
To speake, that Death his vaine hast may repent.
How fit for us, how even and how sweet,
How good in all her titles, and how meet,
To have reform'd this forward heresie,
That women can no parts of friendship bee;
How Morall, how Divine shall not be told,
Lest they that heare her vertues, thinke her old:
And lest we take Deaths part, and make him glad
Of such a prey, and to his tryumph adde.





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