Holy Sonnet 10

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so ;
For those, whom thou think'st 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 flow,
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 better than thy stroke ;  why swell'st thou then ?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And Death shall be no more ;  Death, thou shalt die.

I found this poem by John Donne very interesting.  The poet seems to be telling Death (who is being personified) to not be proud.  He is saying that even though most people see Death as something " mighty and dreadful", it is not.  He compares Death to the pleasures of  "rest and sleep".  Since resting or sleeping are seen as pictures of Death, Death itself must be better and more pleasurable.  John Donne obviously believes in afterlife because he describes dying as "one short sleep past, we wake eternally / and death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die".  Even though Death takes us from the Earth we do not die in his hands because after a short sleep we wake up and live the afterlife.  I liked the way John Donne personified Death depicting it as small and weak and making the idea of dying seem peaceful and somewhat pleasant.