Death be not proud, though some have called thee Mighty and dreadfull, for thou art not soe, For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow, Die not, poore death, nor [yet canst thou]1 kill mee. From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures be, Much pleasure; then from thee, much more must flow, And soonest our best men with thee do goe, Rest of their bones, and souls deliverie. Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings and desperate men, And dost with poyson, warre, and sickness dwell, And poppie, or charmes can make us sleepe as well And better than thy stroake; why swell'st thou then? One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally, And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)1 Bennett: "nor canst thou yet"
Authorship:
- by John Donne (1572 - 1631), no title, appears in Holy Sonnets, no. 10 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Atli Heimir Sveinsson (b. 1938), "Death, be not proud", 1978, published c1980 [ mixed chorus a cappella ], from Two Elegies in Memoriam Benjamin Britten, for mixed choir, no. 1, Reykjavik : Islenzk Tónverkamidstód [sung text not yet checked]
- by Richard Rodney Bennett (1936 - 2012), "Death be not proud", from Tenebrae, no. 5 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "Death be not proud", op. 35 no. 9 (1945), published c1946 [ high voice and piano ], from The Holy Sonnets of John Donne, no. 9 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Mervyn Burtch (b. 1929), "Death be not proud", published 1976 [ four-part mixed chorus a cappella ], from Three Sonnets of John Donne [sung text not yet checked]
- by Donald Busarow (b. 1934), "Death, be not proud", 1979 [ soprano, horn, and piano ], IHS Manuscript Press [sung text not yet checked]
- by Leslie Crabtree (b. 1941), "Death be not proud", 2004 [ vocal duet with piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Olivier Greif (1950 - 2000), "Death be not proud", op. 310 no. 3 (1995) [ voice and piano ], from Les chants de l'âme, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Juliana Hall (b. 1958), "Death be not proud", 2013, first performed 2014 [ tenor and piano ], from The Holy Sonnets of John Donne - 9 Songs for Tenor and Piano, no. 9 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Fenno Heath , "Death be not proud", 1963 [ four-part men's chorus a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Donald Martin Jenni (1937 - 2006), "Death be not proud", 1975 [ four-part mixed chorus with chimes and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Dorian Le Gallienne (1915 - 1963), "Death be not proud", published 1967, from Four Divine Poems of John Donne [sung text not yet checked]
- by Douglas Stuart Moore (1893 - 1969), "Death be not proud", published 1944 [ high voice and piano ], from Three Sonnets of John Donne Set to Music [sung text not yet checked]
- by William Brocklesby Wordsworth (1908 - 1988), "Death be not proud", 1944, published 1946, from Four Sacred Sonnets [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (Bertram Kottmann) , "Sonett über den Tod", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Daniel Johannsen) , copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Richard Flatter) , "Sonett an den Tod", appears in Die Fähre, Englische Lyrik aus fünf Jahrhunderten, first published 1936
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Non esser fiera, Morte", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 123
Tod, sei nicht stolz! hast keinen Grund dazu, Bist gar nicht mächtig stark, wie mancher spricht. Du tust uns nichts; auch mich tötest du nicht: Die du besiegt wähnst, warten nur in Ruh. Wenn schon der Schlaf, dein Abbild, Freude leiht, Welch hohe Lust muß aus dir selbst gedeihn! Und gehen auch unsre Größten zu dir ein – Die Asche fault, die Seele ist befreit. Du Sklav des Fürsten, des Verzagten Knecht, Der falsch durch Gift, durch Krieg und Krankheit siegt: Wenn schon ein Schlaftrunk uns in Frieden wiegt, Und besser als dein Streich, wie prahlst du schlecht! Nach kurzem Schlaf erwachen wir zur Ruh – Und mit dem Tod ist´s aus: Tod, dann stirbst du!
Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada, but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.
Confirmed with Die Fähre, Englische Lyrik aus fünf Jahrhunderten Übersetzt von Richard Flatter, Walter Krieg Verlag, Wien-Bad Bocklet-Zürich, 1954, 2nd edition (1st edition 1936), page 119.
Authorship:
- by Richard Flatter (1891 - 1960), "Sonett an den Tod", appears in Die Fähre, Englische Lyrik aus fünf Jahrhunderten, first published 1936 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by John Donne (1572 - 1631), no title, appears in Holy Sonnets, no. 10
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this page: Volkmar Henschel
This text was added to the website: 2021-02-25
Line count: 14
Word count: 116