Death Be Not Proud

“Death” by George Herbert (1633)

Donne’s fellow metaphysical poet George Herbert also tackles the subject of death, and like Donne, he addresses death directly. Formerly, death was regarded as a horrible thing, but since Christ’s saving death, all that has changed. Death is now considered something good, as the speaker and his fellow Christians look forward to the day of resurrection. They can thus regard death as no more than a sleep (as in Donne’s poem).

“A Hymn to God the Father” by John Donne (1633)

The mood of this poem is very different from “Death, Be Not Proud.” It is much more personal, and it admits doubt. The speaker is conscious of his many sins and wonders whether God will be willing to forgive them. In the last of the three stanzas, he states, “I have a sin of fear, that when I have spun / My last thread, I shall perish on the shore” (Lines 13-14). In other words, he fears that death will triumph over him. He then asks for reassurance that in fact he will be saved. The poem is also notable for how Donne puns on his own name. The last lines state, “And having done that, thou hast done; / I fear no more” (Lines 17-18).