Product Description

John Donne's famous words - 'No man is an island' and 'Never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee' - have aquired the familiarity almost of catch-phrases, but few people know their context or how they came to be written. When Donne was Dean of St Paul's, in the last years of his life, he fell seriously ill. As he lay in bed he heard, day after day, the bells tolling for funerals, often of people he had known. Believing that he himself was soon die, the bells made him aware of the interdependence of men and women in the life of mankind as a whole. Afterwards he wrote a long piece of meditative prose, the "Devotions", in which he set down the progression of his thoughts and illness. This beautiful little book, containing selections from that work, expresses through Donne's evocative prose our relationship with our fellow human beings and our place in the great cycle of life and death. In moments of despair it reminds us that, although we must ultimately die, we are important as members of the human race; our very existence makes it own contribution to mankind, and however insignificant and useless we may feel, we matter to each other. Haunting pen and ink drawings by Helen Lush complement the imagery of the text, bringing us a message of hope and an understanding of the meaning of our lives.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #249300 in Books
• Published on: 1988-10-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 36 pages

About the Author
JOHN DONNE, greatest of the metaphysical poets of the seventeeth century, was born in 1571 or 1572, the son of a London ironmonger. Educated at both Oxford and Cambidge, he led an adventurous life before taking Anglican orders on1615. From 1621 until his death ten years later he was Dean of St Paul's and frequently preached before Charles I. His sermons rank among the best of the seventeeth century, and his poems are distinguished by their erudition, passion and depth of thought. HELEN LUSH lives in Cardiff and specialises in detailed pen and ink, pencil and watercolour drawings. Her commissions have included drawings of local architectural interest, miniature watercolours and book illustration.

Customer Reviews

No words but his own do him justice!
"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."--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I, who am not a native speaker of English shouldn't be the first person to review John Donne. But then, if even a foreigner can enjoy and delight in this most beautiful of texts, maybe others will follow. No one has used the English language in a more lavish manner and the effort to get "into" the text is one certain to bring unending reward. Try reading it aloud and let yourself be carried away by the sound... it is not possible not to love Donne.