Death, be not proud:
Death, be not proud, though
some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou thinkst 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 poppies or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke. Why swellst thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die!
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou thinkst 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 poppies or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke. Why swellst thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die!
About Poem:
“Death
Be Not Proud” presents an argument against the power of death.
Addressing Death as a person, the speaker warns Death against pride in
his power. Such power is merely an illusion, and the end Death thinks
it brings to men and women is in fact a rest from world-weariness for
its alleged “victims.” The poet criticizes Death as a slave to other
forces: fate, chance, kings, and desperate men. Death is not in control,
for a variety of other powers exercise their volition in taking lives.
Even in the rest it brings, Death is inferior to drugs. Finally, the
speaker predicts the end of Death itself, stating “Death, thou shalt
die.”
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