As I watch events unfold just north of me in Los Angeles and prepare to march for democracy on Saturday, June 14th, this poem takes on greater significance.
Perfect piece (who cares if it was called a 'poem' or not 400 years ago?) for today. I wish there were more workshops on old writing that's still alive. In fact, I'd love to see a workshop on John Donne--btw his sonnets are sublime.
I think you're right about the line breaks, reading other versions of this they are indeed not there. However, I've had the experience of reading some lineated poetry that, despite line breaks, still read like prose. It says a lot that introducing line breaks to this piece was effective at turning prose into poetry.
I don’t believe I have ever trembled more at the end of this poem than I did reading it today—am still trembling. ONLY POEMS, thank you for opening my day with this poem, a call to awaken, prayer for peace, prayer for peace
While this is exceedingly beautiful, it is not a poem! It is an excerpt from a much longer prose work (Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions, as cited in the post) but was not lineated or presented as a poem by the author. I’m not sure who invented the line breaks shown in this post—some user of allpoetry.com? Certainly not Donne.
and the much-said lines of John Donne's poem " And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;It tolls for thee." Thanks for sharing such a classic poem.
In a world of beeps and flashes, have many of us heard the passing bell? Yet the poem still resonates deeply.
Seems timeless, doesn't it?
I hope that this poem is widely translated and made available to youth as well as the military, to government leaders, to doctors, to poets.
Oh, yes, all places and professions that would benefit from this poetic insight.
Nice to remember this at this moment.
More than ever.
Ernest Hemingway got the title for one of his best works from this poem.
Indeed!
Yes!!!
As I watch events unfold just north of me in Los Angeles and prepare to march for democracy on Saturday, June 14th, this poem takes on greater significance.
I love the way creative works take on new significance as they withstand time.
Perfect piece (who cares if it was called a 'poem' or not 400 years ago?) for today. I wish there were more workshops on old writing that's still alive. In fact, I'd love to see a workshop on John Donne--btw his sonnets are sublime.
Thank you for this perspective. I agree the literary world might benefit from more cross-over and reading across genres.
You know this isn't really a poem, right? It's from a book of prose called "Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions."
The name of this *prose* piece is Meditation 17. That said, it certainly IS poetic.
The line breaks here were added by some anonymous person, hundreds of years later.
I think you're right about the line breaks, reading other versions of this they are indeed not there. However, I've had the experience of reading some lineated poetry that, despite line breaks, still read like prose. It says a lot that introducing line breaks to this piece was effective at turning prose into poetry.
I don’t believe I have ever trembled more at the end of this poem than I did reading it today—am still trembling. ONLY POEMS, thank you for opening my day with this poem, a call to awaken, prayer for peace, prayer for peace
So glad that this poem moved you on this level, Tara. There are few better ways to start the day than this feeling.
Yes! I was thinking the same thing. How something written 400 years ago could still be relevant today
While this is exceedingly beautiful, it is not a poem! It is an excerpt from a much longer prose work (Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions, as cited in the post) but was not lineated or presented as a poem by the author. I’m not sure who invented the line breaks shown in this post—some user of allpoetry.com? Certainly not Donne.
and the much-said lines of John Donne's poem " And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;It tolls for thee." Thanks for sharing such a classic poem.
There’s such grandeur in these lines!