No Man Is An Island
No man is an island,
Entire of itself,
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thy friend's
Or of thine own were:
Any man's death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind,
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.
John
Donne
John Donne (/ˈdʌn/ dun)
(between 24 January and 19 June 1572[1] –
31 March 1631) was an English poet, satirist, lawyer and a cleric in the Church of England. He is
considered the pre-eminent representative of the metaphysical
poets. His works are noted for their strong, sensual style and
include sonnets,
love poetry, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies,
songs, satires and sermons.
His poetry is noted for its vibrancy of language and inventiveness of metaphor,
especially compared to that of his contemporaries. Donne's style is
characterised by abrupt openings and various paradoxes, ironies and
dislocations. These features, along with his frequent dramatic or everyday
speech rhythms, his tense syntax and his tough eloquence, were both a reaction
against the smoothness of conventional Elizabethan poetry and an adaptation
into English of European baroque and mannerist techniques. His early career was
marked by poetry that bore immense knowledge of British society and he met that
knowledge with sharp criticism. Another important theme in Donne’s poetry is
the idea of true religion, something that he spent much time considering and
about which he often theorized. He wrote secular poems as well as erotic and
love poems. He is particularly famous for his mastery of metaphysical conceits.[2]
Despite
his great education and poetic talents, Donne lived in poverty for several
years, relying heavily on wealthy friends. He spent much of the money he
inherited during and after his education on womanising, literature, pastimes,
and travel. In 1601, Donne secretly married Anne More, with whom he had twelve
children.[3] In 1615, he became an Anglican priest, although he did not want to
take Anglican orders. He did so because King James I persistently ordered it. In 1621, he
was appointed the Dean of St
Paul's Cathedral in
London. He also served as a member of parliament in 1601 and in 1614. (Wikipedia)
