'Holy Sonnet X' aka 'Death, Be Not Proud' by John Donne - Read by Sir John Gielgud

"Holy Sonnet 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, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures bee,
Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee doe goe,
Rest of their bones, and souls deliverie.
Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poyson, warre, and sicknesse dwell,
And poppie, or charmes can make us sleepe as well,
And better then thy stroake; why swell'st thou then;
One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

[@Panini_Edirisinhe]

Thanks, John Gielgud. That was a good rendition - as expected by me. I'm sure that you must have confronted this monster Death many years ago, and I'm not young either. So, one of these days I will have to face the fellow myself, although there are some doctors who keep giving us medicines for various ailments. When some old guys get very sick they spend all their fortune on supposed "cures". Some fellows are maintained in a coma for years - some Prime Minister of Israel comes to mind. Finally, after some years, they turned off all machines, and he died. Ariel Sharon, was it? It all becomes so unimportant. I don't think that I would have passed Donne if I were to be marking his Logic paper.
However, I do admit that he was a greater man than me. That is why people are reading him about 400 years later. I'm pretty sure that I'll be forgotten four years after I die. It doesn't really matter - my not being remembered. Ah, but what wouldn't I give to be immortal AND eternally young? I know what I will give for that! Yes, I do! My Life!!
By the way, John G.: I have listened to you many times before. First, on long-playing records, you acting some parts in Shakespeare plays. How did I chance on you today? It was when trying to persuade some guy here who was complaining of injustice: www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/contempt-of-litigants/
I've told him that even if all injustices are done away with, all those who obtained justice, as well as all the criminals, will have to face Death some day.
Mine is going to be only the second comment on this performance. What rubbish has the first fellow written! I'm glad he kept it short.

[@aflahnurainisalsabila9795]

Holy Sonnets: Death, be not proud
BY JOHN DONNE
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 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 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.

[@BellePlays13]

Thank you random person!!!!!!!!!

[@iainrobb2076]

It's generally a good reading, except that he commits the purely modern error of reading an enjambed line (the first) directly into the next with no pause, when the only reason the enjambment exists is because the line can't be end stopped through grammar. He does, however, pick up on the fact that 'called' is a disyllable, which many readers nowadays, somehow, would miss. They'd just read the obviously iambic line non metrically with nine syllables.

[@TC-mf1cq]

He's got it all wrong. The man can't leave Shakespearean dramatics alone.