Saturday, April 7, 2012

Classic Poetry - "The Computation" by John Donne


John Donne (1572 - 1631)

The Computation


FOR my first twenty years, since yesterday,
I scarce believed thou couldst be gone away ;
For forty more I fed on favours past,
And forty on hopes that thou wouldst they might last ;
Tears drown'd one hundred, and sighs blew out two ;
A thousand, I did neither think nor do,
Or not divide, all being one thought of you ;
Or in a thousand more, forgot that too.
Yet call not this long life ; but think that I
Am, by being dead, immortal ; can ghosts die ?


John Donne was the original metaphysical poet. Fellow poet John Dryden wrote of him: "He affects the metaphysics, not only in his satires, but in his amorous verses, where nature only should reign; and perplexes the minds of the fair sex with nice speculations of philosophy, when he should engage their hearts, and entertain them with the softnesses of love."

How do his words effect and entertain you?

6 comments:

  1. lovely choice Kim. Donne was an original genius and I thoroughly enjoyed his delectable irony in this one.the poem also resembles the opening sections of Marvell's To His Coy Mistress.

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  2. Oh doesn't this poem just make maths so romantic!?!? Lovely choice! Take care
    x

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  3. I thought it clever to compare life to time and reflected thoughts~
    I have to read it again ;D

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  4. Very intriguing. I am going to enjoy this site :-)

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  5. He can perplex my mind with his amorous verses any time!

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