“Death be not Proud” is written by the famous metaphysical poet John Donne. It was included in his collection Holly Sonnets. Read the Death Be Not Proud summary here.
“Death, be not Proud” is a metaphysical poem and is also called the Holy Sonnet. It was written in 1609 and published in 1633. The poem is part of John Donne’s Holy Sonnets series. In this poem, John Donne discusses death. Here he points to death’s weaknesses by personifying it. The Powerlessness of Death is an important theme of this poem. Besides, Sleep has been used as a symbol.
Summary
Usually through death, this worldly beautiful life of man ends. Many are very afraid of death. Because death is too powerful. Everyone succumbs to death’s power. But the poet here directly addresses Death as weak. According to him, death is not at all terrible that he has to fear.
Death may be proud of himself. But his pride is in vain. Life seems to end with death apparently. But actually, through it, the new life of man begins. A man enters the heavenly life through death. So the poet showed mercy to death by rebuking it.
According to the poet, death is only like a nap. Sleep is a normal process. After a short sleep, we are refreshed and we regain the energy to work. Death is just a bridge to the next life.
Death itself has no power. It is only a servant of fate. Death is caused only by some worldly events like illness, war, accidents, etc. Death is only a temporary state of sleep, just as opium and sorcery make people unconscious for a short time. The poet compares death to opium and magic spells.
Read More: Batter My Heart Summary
