Holy Sonnet X - Death Be Not Proud

Holy Sonnet X “Death Be Not Proud” John Donne A Digital Edition by Hannah Good

Table of Contents Excerpt from Wit Introduction Original Sequence Westmoreland Sequence Revised Sequence O’Flahertie Manuscript Textual Note Sonnet X Line-by-Line Works Cited

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“You've missed the point of the poem because you've used an edition of the text that is inauthentically punctuated. This is metaphysical poetry, not the modern novel. The standards of scholarship and critical reading, which one would apply to any other text, are simply insufficient. The effort must be total for the results to be meaningful. Do you think that the punctuation of the last line of this sonnet is merely an insignificant detail?

The sonnet begins with a valiant struggle with death calling on all the forces of intellect and drama to vanquish the enemy. But it is ultimately about overcoming the seemingly insuperable barriers... separating life, death and eternal life. In the edition you chose, this profoundly simple meaning is sacrificed to hysterical punctuation.

"And Death" capital D... "shall be no more;" semi-colon.

"Death," capital D, comma... "thou shalt die!", exclamation mark.

If you go in for this sort of thing, I suggest you take up Shakespeare. Gardner's edition of the Holy Sonnets returns to the Westmoreland manuscript source … It reads: "And death shall be no more," comma... "Death thou shalt die."

Nothing but a breath, a comma, separates life from life everlasting. Very simple, really.

With the original punctuation restored, death is no longer something to act out on a stage with exclamation marks. It is a comma. A pause. In this way, the uncompromising way, one learns something from the poem, wouldn't you say? Life, death, soul, God... past, present. Not insuperable barriers. Not semicolons. Just a comma.”

- Dr. E. M. Ashford, Wit, Directed by Mike Nichols Screenplay by Emma Thompson and Mike Nichols Based on the play of the same name by Margaret Edson

And Death shall be no more; Death, thou shat die! // And death shall be no more, Death thou shalt die.

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Introduction Holy Sonnet X, also commonly referred to as “Death Be Not Proud” or “HSDeath” in the Donne Variorum, is perhaps the most well known of the Holy Sonnets, and one of the more well known out of Donne’s entire cannon. Of course there are many reasons for this, not the least because of its poignant grappling with the most fundamental human reality: death. As the previous quote indicates, even the most minute details as the poem’s punctuation suggest this struggle. Though Dr. E. M. Ashford, mentor of Wit’s protagonist and speaker of the previous quote, suggests an inauthentic source of secondhand nature, even the editions thought to be closest to Donne himself share these dizzying punctuation issues. This problem lies at the heart of the difficult task of editing John Donne’s work.

Among these vast complexities, one thing is certain: there is a lot of material to choose from. By some estimates (and depending on what exactly you’re counting), there are 232 Donne manuscripts in existence, with those containing nearly 4,000 texts (Sullivan 96). But what are we to make of this surplus of manuscripts in a world where “Publishing a book without an author’s permission was neither illegal, nor even particularly unusual” and “the author’s ‘intent’ was of little consequence to a publisher who, in coming into possession of a manuscript he deemed marketable, could legally establish title to it and publish it for his own advantage” (Kastan 446)?

This is precisely the question that the editors of the Indiana University Donne Variorum have attempted to answer through eight volumes. Though the goal of this project is to recover and present exactly what Donne wrote” (Donne Variorum Gen.

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Introduction XLIX), editors of this collection also acknowledge that this would be a difficult, if not impossible task. This is in no small part due to Donne’s own distrust of the newfound practice of publication – perhaps itself due to the apparent disregard of authorial intent and integrity throughout the 17th century (Kastan 446). Instead, his poems circulated in manuscripts, first given to friends, who then made copies for their own personal collections. Donne himself did not even have a full set of copies of his own poems, having to track down copies of various poems upon first ever considering publication out of “necessity” (Kastan 450).

Like the majority of Donne’s work, The Holy Sonnets were published for the first time after Donne's death in 1633. However, following the same trend as the majority of Donne’s other work, the set of poems circulated together in various manuscript forms during Donne's lifetime. However, like nearly all Donne scholarship, there are technical complexities involved. Topics such as the order of the sequence as well as the inclusion of certain sonnets beyond the common eight are still hotly debated (Parrish and Stringer LX). However, Variorum general editor, Gary A. Stringer has established a set of three basic sequences of early publication: the original sequence (in Songs and Sonnets, published 1633), the Westmoreland sequence (prepared by a friend of Donne’s around 1620), and the revised sequence (Divine Meditations, published in 1635) (Parrish, Stringer Variorum Volume 7.1 Introduction LXXII). Each of these sequences contains important and illuminating discrepancies that hint at the evolution of the text itself from earlier manuscripts and serve as a starting point for tackling the great complexities that the Holy Sonnets offer editors of Donne’s work. Though out of Donne’s entire canon,

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only one letter survives in his own hand, some of these revisions are thought to be direct revisions of Donne himself (Parrish, Stringer LXIII).

These revisions from Donne himself seem to signify his own evolving perspective on death. Whether or not we “live” or “wake” eternally is central, as is the “bodies” or “bones” of “our best men” who soonest with death do go. Torn between fear, bravado, faith, and any other number of internal conflicts, the sequences trace what might be Donne's own extended battle with mortality throughout the difficult period in his life in which he battled faith in conversion from Catholicism to Anglicanism, illness, economic difficulties, etc. (Shami, 524). This physical nature of the struggle is expressed not only literally through changing language but also through the personification of Death, who is a real, human-like opponent to Donne's speaker.

As the editors of Variorum suggest, “Given the situation described … the only remaining alternative is to approach Donne’s text on a poem-by-poem basis, examining insofar as possible its individual history transmission” (Variorum General Introduction LII). In this digital edition of Donne’s Sonnet X, I attempt to do just this, addressing these multi-faceted challenges in a condensed, interactive manner. Features such as the side-by-side format, easy to navigate interface, and a line-by-line comparison allow one to closely analyze these changes and map a small portion of this particular poem’s transmission through the three most basic known sequences of the Holy Sonnets, a single manuscript (from the O’Flahertie Manuscript), and a revised edition by the author which attempts to slightly and unobtrusively adapt the poem’s language, adhere to modern poetic conventions, and maintain the poem’s essence. As with any edition, these judgments are subjective. This is where the format “picks up the slack”, allowing the

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reader to be an additional collaborator, deciding for him or herself if I’ve done the poem (and Donne) due justice.

Hannah Good

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Original Sequence (c. 1633) Death be not proud, though some haue called thee Mighty and dreadfull, for thou art not soe.

For those whome thou thinkst thou dost ouerthrowe Dye not (poore Death) nor yet canst thou kill me.

From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures be, Much pleasure, then from thee much more must flowe And soonest our best men with thee doe goe, Rest of their bodyes, and Soules deliuery.

Th’ art slaue to fate, Chaunce, Kings, and desperate men, And dost with poison, warre, and sickness dwell And poppy or charmes can make vs sleepe as well And easyer then thy stroke: why swell’st thou then?

One short sleepe past, we liue eternally And Death shalbe no more: Death thou shalt dye.

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Westmoreland Sequence (1620) Death be not proud, though some haue called thee Mighty and dreadfull, for thou art not soe.

For those whom thou thinkst thou dost overthrow Dy not poore death, nor yet canst thou kill mee.

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 go, Rest of ther bones, and Soules deliueree.

Thou art Slaue to Fate, Chaunce, kings, and desperat men, And dost with poyson, warr, and sicknesse dwell; And Poppy or Charmes can make vs sleepe as well, And easier then thy stroke, why swellst thou then?

One short sleepe past, we live eternally And Death shalbe no more, Death thou shallt dy.

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Revised Sequence (c. 1635) Death bee not proude, though some hath called thee Mighty and Dreadfull, for thou art not soe For those whom thou thinck’st thou dost overthrowe Dye not poore Death, nor yet canst thou kill mee.

From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures bee, Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flowe And soonest our best men with thee doe goe, Rest of their bones, and Soules deliuerie.

Thou art slaue to Fate, Chaunce, Kings, and desperate men, And dost with poyson, warr, and sicknes dwell And Poppie or Charmes, can make vs sleepe as well And better then thy stroak, why swell’st thou then?

One short sleepe past, wee wake aeternallye And Death shall bee noe more. Death, thou shalt dye.

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X. O’Flahertie Manuscript (c. 1632) Death bee not proude though some haue called thee Mighty and dreadfull, for thou art not so for those whome thou thinkst thou dost over throw Dye not (poore death) nor yet canst thou kill mee from rest, and sleepe (wch but thye pictures bee) Much pleasure, then, from thee, much more must flowe And soonest our best men with |thee| doe goe Rest of theyre bodye bones and soules deliuery.

Th’art Slaue to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men And dost with poyson warre and sicknesse dwell And poppy, or charmes can make vs sleepe as well And easyer then thy stroke. Why swell(’)st thou then?

One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally And Death shall bee no more; Death thou shalt dye.

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X. Edited by Hannah Good 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 flowe, 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 easier than thy stroke; why swellst thou then?

One short sleep past, we wake eternally, And Death shall be no more, Death thou shalt die.

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Textual Note In light of these diverse and expansive editorial complications, I believe that the best way to present any edition of a Donne poem is in this manner: side by side its antecedents in an interactive digital edition. By all accounts, an "uncorrupted" Donne poem does not exist (Variorum LIII). Rather, any Donne poem as it exists today is a collaboration - between friends, acquaintances, patrons, publishers (well-meaning and otherwise), editors, cultural circumstance, censorship, and of course the reader. While any text is complicated by this relationship between authorial intent and reader interpretation, the particular manner of transmission of Donne's manuscripts (so-called "corruption") lends itself to a revolutionary dynamism. A casual reader might find these variations helpful achieving deeper insight into the poem’s personal meaning. One might read the various editions of Divine Meditations in attempt to discern the tangled mind of Donne during this period of ill health, grief, and other misfortune. Similarly, one might read these editions as an insight into poetic and linguistic conventions of the Donne, the 17th century itself, and beyond.

This is also why digital presentation of Donne's work is so helpful. The Donne Variorum has already attempted to take advantage of these technological advances to allow for deeper understanding of these texts. However, such an expansive project is merely a starting point for expansion and deeper interaction. Enter such platforms as issuu. Features such as a multi-page viewing layout, cross-referential hyperlinks, and a focus on aesthetics allow for a more meaningful, dynamic interaction with the material. A single Donne text has much to offer, almost to an overwhelming extent when considering the density of the content itself to the aforementioned editorial

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complications. In this format, the rather intimidating vernacular of Donne academia breaks down so that even casual readers of this popular and alluring text are able to interact with it in a new way, exploring and tackling its complexities without obstacle. This format also holds most true to the poem in its earliest forms (Variorum XLVIII), which then serves as a foundation for understanding its derivatives. Sonnet X in particular lends itself to this format because it is the most well known of the Holy Sonnets, perhaps one of Donne's more well-known poems over all.

In my own version, I chose to adhere to modern poetic conventions (such as placing a comma after every line) as well as many of the choices modern editors have made in widely circulated versions of this poem (e.g. preserving “bones” rather than “bodies”). I have attempted to make editorial choices that felt truest to the poems essence. Though as the Variorum project notes, the “assumption that any modern editor – even one very sensitive, learned, and wise—can reach back over hundreds of years and somehow ascertain what must have been in Donne’s mind, root out instances of corruption, and synthetically reconstruct a text reflecting what he actually wrote” is a “highly questionable” practice (General Introduction LIII). This, however, was not my aim, and even at the most basic level is work for scholars much more learned. Rather, I hope to have compiled and contributed to a series of texts that lends itself to a reader’s closer intimacy with this significant work.

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Sonnet X: Line-by-Line 1. “Death be not proud though some have called thee” a. OS: Death be not proud, though some haue called thee b. WS: Death be not proud, though some haue called thee c. RS: Death bee not proude, though some hath called thee d. OFM: Death bee not proude though some haue called thee e. Good: Death be not proud, though some have called thee 2. “Mighty and dreaful for thou art not so” a. OS: Mighty and dreadfull, for thou art not soe. b. WS: Mighty and dreadfull, for thou art not soe. c. RS: Mighty and Dreadfull, for thou art not soe d. OFM: Mighty and dreadfull, for thou art not so e. Good: Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so, 3. “For those whom thou thinkst thou dost overthrow” a. OS: For those whome thou thinkst thou dost ouerthrowe b. WS: For those whom thou thinkst thou dost overthrow c. RS: For those whom thou thinck’st thou dost overthrowe d. OFM: for those whome thou thinkst thou dost over throw e. Good: For those whom thou thinkst thou dost overthrow, 4. “Die not poor death nor yet canst thou kill me” a. OS: Dye not (poore Death) nor yet canst thou kill me. b. WS: Dy not poore death, nor yet canst thou kill mee. c. RS: Dye not poore Death, nor yet canst thou kill mee. d. OFM: Dye not (poore death) nor yet canst thou kill mee e. Good: Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.

5. “From rest and sleep which but thy pictures be” a. OS: From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures be, b. WS: From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures bee, c. RS: From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures bee, d. OFM: from rest, and sleepe (wch but thye pictures bee) e. Good: From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be, 6. “Much pleasure then from thee much more must flow” a. OS: Much pleasure, then from thee much more must flowe b. WS: Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow, c. RS: Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flowe d. OFM: Much pleasure, then, from thee, much more must flowe e. Good: Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flowe, 7. “And soonest our best men with thee do go” a. OS: And soonest our best men with thee doe goe, b. WS: And soonest our best men with thee doe go, c. RS: And soonest our best men with thee doe goe, d. OFM: And soonest our best men with |thee| doe goe e. Good: And soonest our best men with thee do go, 8. “Rest of their body/bones and souls deliuery” a. OS: Rest of their bodyes, and Soules deliuery.

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b. WS: Rest of ther bones, and Soules deliueree. c. RS: Rest of their bones, and Soules deliuerie. d. OFM: Rest of theyre bodye bones and soules deliuery. e. Good: Rest of their bones, and soul’s delivery.

9. “Thou art slave to fate chance kings and desperate men” a. OS: Th’ art slaue to fate, Chaunce, Kings, and desperate men, b. WS: Thou art Slaue to Fate, Chaunce, kings, and desperat men, c. RS: Thou art slaue to Fate, Chaunce, Kings, and desperate men, d. OFM: Th’art Slaue to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men e. Good: Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men, 10. “And dost with poison war and sickness dwell” a. OS: And dost with poison, warre, and sickness dwell b. WS: And dost with poyson, warr, and sicknesse dwell; c. RS: And dost with poyson, warr, and sicknes dwell d. OFM: And dost with poyson warre and sicknesse dwell e. Good: And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell, 11. “And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well” a. OS: And poppy or charmes can make vs sleepe as well b. WS: And Poppy or Charmes can make vs sleepe as well, c. RS: And Poppie or Charmes, can make vs sleepe as well d. OFM: And poppy, or charmes can make vs sleepe as well e. Good: And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well, 12. “And easier/better then thy stroke why swellst thou then?” a. OS: And easyer then thy stroke: why swell’st thou then? b. WS: And easier then thy stroke, why swellst thou then? c. RS: And better then thy stroak, why swell’st thou then? d. OFM: And easyer then thy stroke. Why swellst thou then e. Good: And easier than thy stroke; why swellst thou then?

13. “One short sleep past we lie/live/wake eternally” a. OS: One short sleepe past, we liue eternally b. WS: One short sleepe past, we live eternally c. RS: One short sleepe past, wee wake aeternallye d. OFM: One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally e. Good: One short sleep past, we wake eternally, 14. “And death shall be no more death thou shalt die” a. OS: And Death shalbe no more: Death thou shalt dye. b. WS: And Death shalbe no more, Death thou shallt dy. c. RS: And Death shall bee noe more. Death, thou shalt dye. d. OFM: And Death shall bee no more; Death thou shalt dye. e. Good: And Death shall be no more, Death thou shalt die.

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Works Cited Carlin, Candice. Untitled. 2014. Hobart, Tasmania, AU. Candice Carlin Photography.

Web. 1 Dec. 2015.

Crowler, Lara M. "Archival Research." The Oxford Handbook of John Donne. Ed. Jeanne Shami, Dennis Flynn, and M. Thomas. Hester. New York, New York: Oxford UP, 2011. 34-42. Print.

Donne, John. The Variorum Edition of the Poetry of John Donne. The Holy Sonnets. Ed. Gary A. Stringer and Paul A. Parrish. 1st ed. Vol. 7. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana UP, 2005. Print.

Edson, Margaret. Wit: A Play. New York: Faber and Faber, 1999. Print.

Kastan, David Scott. "The Body of the Text." Project Muse 81.2 (2014): 443-67. Print.

Shami, Jeanne. "Donne's Decision to Take Orders." The Variorum Edition of the Poetry of John Donne. Ed. Gary A. Stringer and Paul A. Parrish. 1st ed. Vol. 7.

Bloomington: Indiana UP, 2000. N. pag. Print.

Ii, Ernest W. Sullivan. "What We Know Now about Donne's Texts That We Did Not Know Before." Text 17 (2005): 187-96. JSTOR. Web. 05 Dec. 2015.

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Shami, Jeanne. The Oxford Handbook of John Donne. Ed. Dennis Flynn and M. Thomas.

Hester. New York, New York: Oxford UP, 2011. Print.

Stringer, Gary A. "Editing Donne's Poetry: From John Marriot to the Donne Variorum." The Oxford Handbook of John Donne. Ed. Jeanne Shami, Dennis Flynn, and M. Thomas. Hester. New York, New York: Oxford UP, 2011. 43-64.

Print.

Sullivan, Ernest W., II. "What Have the Donne Variorum Textual Editors Discovered, and Why Should Anyone Care." John Donne Journal 22 (2003): 95-107. Print.

Young, R. V. "The Religious Sonnet." The Oxford Handbook of John Donne. Ed. Jeanne Shami, Dennis Flynn, and M. Thomas Hester. New York: Oxford UP, 2011. 21832. Print.

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