Sophie Chiari
IAA Q37 séance du 21 octobre
John Donne
John Donne’s Holy Sonnets
John Donne’s religious poetry is collectively known as the Divine Poems; among these, the
largest group is the nineteen Holy Sonnets. Donne began writing his love poetry in the 1590s,
while still single, and did not turn to religious poetry until 1609, eight years after he had
married Anne More, which resulted in his banishment from the royal court. During this time
he had begun to renounce his Roman Catholic faith but had not yet converted to the Church of
England, which he did in 1615. He became a minister two years later. The dramatic character
of the Holy Sonnets suggests that Donne probably read them aloud to his friends, enhancing
their argumentative tone, years before he began circulating them in manuscript form.
Although not necessarily biographical in nature, the sonnets do reflect Donne’s meditation on
his religious convictions and address the themes of divine judgment, divine love, and humble
penance. However, just as the persona of Donne’s love poems speaks with passion, wit, and
tenderness in seducing or praising his beloved, so the speaker in these sonnets turns to God in
a very personal way, with a love passionate, forceful, and assertive yet fearful, too. Although
the sonnets are predominantly Petrarchan, consisting of two quatrains and a sestet, this form is
often modified by an inclusion of a Shakespearean couplet or other variation in structure or
rhyme. Donne probably wrote all but two of the Holy Sonnets between 1609 and 1611. Dating
Sonnets 18 and 19 is more difficult because they were not discovered until the nineteenth
century. Along with the love poems, the first seventeen Holy Sonnets were published in the
collection Love Songs and Sonnets in 1633, a few years after Donne’s death.
HOLY SONNETS.
X.
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 picture[s] 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'rt 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.
Ne sois pas fière, ô Mort
Ne t’enorgueillis point, ô Mort, bien que parfois
Dite grande et terrible, car telle tu n’es point ;
Sophie Chiari
Ceux sur lesquels tu t’imagines triompher
Ne meurent, pauvre Mort ; tu ne peux me tuer.
Nous tirons du repos, du sommeil, tes images,
Grand plaisir ; de toi-même en doit sortir bien plus ;
Et nos meilleurs sont les premiers à te rejoindre –
Tu soulages leurs os, tu délivres leurs âmes !
Tes maîtres sont : destin, hasard, rois, furieux ;
Tu demeures avec poison, maladie, guerre ;
Un charme, ou le pavot, peuvent nous endormir
Autant, mieux que ton dard. Pourquoi donc tant d’orgueil ?
Un somme, et nous nous éveillerons éternels ;
Et la Mort ne sera plus ; Mort, tu mourras !
John DONNE.
(Traduit par Louis Cazamian.)
Exercice : proposez votre propre traduction du poème de John Donne, et comparez.
Utilisez vous les rimes ?
The sonnet is a mixture of the Italian and English sonnet forms, a rarity in the early 17th
century when poets felt a greater necessity to adhere to the prescribed forms than do modern
sonneteers. The octave has the conventional Italian rhyme scheme abbaabba. However the
sestet is not what one would expect. The English (or Shakespearean) sonnet ordinarily begins
with three quatrains each with its own alternating rhyme abab cdcd efef and concludes with a
rhymed couplet gg.. The sestet of the Italian sonnethas its own unity and may rhyme cdecde
or cdcdcd. This poem has a conventional Italian octave, then a third quatrain with the
Italianate cddc rhyme scheme and an English closing couplet.
Generally, the English sonnet progresses to a surprising turn (or volta) in the concluding
couplet. The Italian sonnet makes its dramatic turn between opening octave and concluding
sestet. Since lines 13 and 14 are not a rhymed couplet (often indented in the English form),
they are less emphatic, less like a punch line. So we need to ask why in this poem Donne finds
it most suitable to commingle the sonnet forms.
Analysis
The poet wishes to convey his message of eternal life and feels that people should not be
afraid of dying, as there will still be, in his view, eternal life in heaven. He knows that
everyone must die eventually, even, "our best men with thee do go". This is his basis for his
acceptance of death and thereby defeating it. Donne's motivation for this poem stems from his
religious background as he was a descendant of Saint Thomas Moore and was raised as a
Roman Catholic, yet he still fuses his calculated thoughts with his feelings.Donne opens the
poem with a defiant tone, indicating his stand against death. In his metaphysical conceits, the
poet developes a lengthy, complex image to express his involved but controlled view of a
person, object or feeling, in this case death being compared to a person. The movement is
appropriate as the defiant tone in the beginning lends itself to the fast pace of the first four
Sophie Chiari
lines. A steady pace is then developed while Donne explains his point of view. An elegy is a
classical form of poetry mixed with modern influences and this emphasises Donne's own form
of writing and what he tries to convey in the poem, mixing feelings with calculated thoughts.
Being a metaphysical poet, Donne usually used irregular rhythms, however, in this poem he
uses bound verse and has a metrical pattern. He too is cynical and states; "Die not, poor
death" and humiliates death. By making slight variations in the rhythm, the poet gives the
lines a melody. He uses extremely emotive diction, such as "Mighty" and "dreadful" to incite
feelings in the reader and to indicate that death is not these things. Enjambment is used to give
many of the lines a free flowing affect and therefore create a faster pace when it is needed.
The poet uses Iambic pentameter to create a rhythmical feeling within the poem. The use of
diction is extravagant and is very important in the poem as it must describe the poet's feelings
and, with difficulty, describe death. Donne uses realistic language so as to appeal to the
masses. The poet succeeds in conveying his emotions using expressive diction, questioning
the reader's emotions and thoughts on death and thereby creating insight in the readers mind.
Donne personifies Fate and Chance to indicate they too are above dying.
Death, commonly viewed as an all-powerful force against life, is otherwise described in John
Donne's Holy Sonnet 10. As found in any English Sonnet, there is a rhyme scheme and a
standard meter. Although the standard meter is iambic pentameter, as in most English
Sonnets, the rhyme scheme differs a little from the usual, consisting of ABBA ABBA CDDC
AE. Sonnets convey various thoughts and feelings to the reader through the different moods
set by the author. In this case the speaker having to confront Death and defeat it, sets the
mood. Throughout existence, there have been many theories regarding exactly what role
Death plays in the lives of those who experience it. Some think Death is the ultimate
controller of all living things, while others believe it is nothing more than the act of dying
once your time has come. Donne, on the other hand, has his own philosophy. The entire
Sonnet, Donne speaks directly to Death.
Without fate nothing could be determined, therefore, our fate is truthfully what controls our
lives and deaths. In lines one and two Donne says "Death, be not proud, though some have
called thee, Mighty and dreadful thou art not so. Although we tell Death it does not control
what our destiny is, we still recognize that eventually all of us will get there one way or
another as stated in lines seven and eight, "And soonest our best men with thee do go, Rest of
their bones, and soul's delivery. Dreams can only offer so much, as compared to eternal
happiness will never ceases to give tranquility. " All of us will end up meeting Death;
nevertheless it will not come for us during our lifetime, it will only watch from a distance,
until called again. When Death becomes a slave it is because it will benefit from who will die,
but doesn't have the power to kill. It decides when our time has been completed on this earth,
and then comes Death to take us away. Death is shown a sense of insecurity in line three when
the speaker says, "For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow, die not, poor Death, nor
yet canst thou kill me. He gives Death life, and therefore makes it mortal, exposing it to pain,
torment and eventually defeat. In line nine, the speaker goes against that to say that Death is a
slave to fate, chance and us. Next, in line 10 he says "And dost with poison, war" and sickness
dwell;" Therefore, not only is Death a slave, but it is also dependent on people in order to
survive. " By referring to Death as a person, he makes it easier for the reader to bring Death
down to a level of a weakness and venerability, allowing us to examine it to see what Death
really is. " Donne is telling Death that all those who it think it killed it really didn't, and that it
cant kill him, again proving that Death is not what takes lives but what delivers them.
Sophie Chiari
John Donne addresses Death as one would speak to a foe, harassing employee, or even an
annoying bully who is too weak and without power to deliver his/her threats. Donne tells
Death that he should not be so arrogantly proud even though some have made him think he is
mighty and one to be feared. He points out to Death that he is far from being any of those
things.
He goes on to tell Death that even though he thinks he succeeded in overthrowing people.
They are the ones who deliver their souls and who rest their bones even when death may not
be ready for them. So it is Death that is a slave to fate, accidents, suicides, war, and sickness.
Death must dwell with them and must also cease when these men die. Donne mocking Death
says that even "poppy and charms" can provide a better sleep because Death is just a
weakling.
Donne points out that sleep which is the first death is short and one wakes to live for eternity.
Thus Death is defeated and will no longer be. So Donne tells death that he shouldn't puff up
with pride for it is Death that will face the real death. The first death for the believer is only a
physical death; only the body is destroyed. This physical death serves as a portal to eternity.
Donne drew from his priesthood studies the knowledge of the afterlife. Through his writings
he was able to make death seem less threatening to himself and to the people of his time.
After all, who has not questioned his/her existence after death? People are curious and tend to
fear the unknown.
Donne ends his admonishment very boldly: "Death thou shall die." The reader can sense that
death is truly defeated forever more. There is some satisfaction in reading these words even if
just for the moment. Anxious ones can return every now and then to the Scriptures and to
"Death be not Proud" to find peace and encouragement.