From Contempt of Death in the Better Sort of Spirits
For this the better Soules doe oft despiseThe bodie's death, and doe it oft desire;For when on ground, the burdened ballance liesThe emptie part is lifted vp the higher:
But if the bodie's death the soule should kill,Then death must needs against her nature bee;And were it so, all soules would flie it still,"For Nature hates and shunnes her contrary.
For all things else, which Nature makes to bee,Their being to preserue, are chiefly taught;And though some things desire a change to see,Yet neuer thing did long to turne to naught.
If then by death the soule were quenchèd quite,She could not thus against her nature runne;Since euery senselesse thing, by Nature's light,Doth preservation seeke, destruction shunne.
Nor could the World's best spirits so much erre,If death tooke all--that they should all agree,Before this life, their honour to preferre;For what is praise to things that nothing bee?
Againe, if by the bodie's prop she stand;If on the bodie's life, her life depend;As Meleager's on the fatall brand,--The bodie's good shee onely would intend:
We should not find her half so braue and bold,To leade it to the Warres and to the seas;To make it suffer watchings, hunger, cold,When it might feed with plenty, rest with ease.
Doubtlesse all Soules have a suruiuing thought;Therefore of death we thinke with quiet mind;But if we thinke of being turn'd to nought,A trembling horror in our soules we find.
Words in this poem
- despise v. t.
- To look down upon with disfavor or contempt; to contemn; to scorn; to disdain; to have a low opinion or contemptuous dislike of. [OF. despis-, in some forms of despire to despise, fr. L. despicere, despectum, to look down upon, despise; de- + spicere, specere, to look. See Spy, and cf. Des]
- needs adv.
- Of necessity; necessarily; indispensably; -- often with must, and equivalent to of need. [Orig. gen. of need, used as an adverb. Cf. - wards.]
- shunne v. t.
- To avoid; to keep clear of; to get out of the way of; to escape from; to eschew; as, to shun rocks, shoals, vice. [OE. shunien, schunien, schonien, AS. scunian, sceonian; cf. D. schuinen to slepe, schuin oblique, sloping, Icel. skunda, skynda, to hasten. Cf. Schooner, Scound]
- honour n.
- Esteem due or paid to worth; high estimation; respect; consideration; reverence; veneration; manifestation of respect or reverence. [OE. honor, honour, onour, onur, OF. honor, onor, honur, onur, honour, onour, F. honneur, fr. L. honor, honos.]
- fatall a.
- Proceeding from, or appointed by, fate or destiny; necessary; inevitable. [L. fatalis, fr. fatum: cf. F. fatal. See Fate.]
- intend v. t.
- To stretch' to extend; to distend. [OE. entenden to be attentive, F. entendre, fr. L. intendre, intentum, and intensum, to intend, attend, stretch out, extend; pref. in- in + tendere to stretch, s]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
From Contempt of Death in the Better Sort of Spirits is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Complete Poems of Sir John Davies. Volume 1 of 2., Project Gutenberg ebook #44977; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: John Davies, From Contempt of Death in the Better Sort of Spirits, in The Complete Poems, Volume I (1596–1599), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #44977, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/davies-poems/from-contempt-of-death-in-the-better-sort-of-spirits.html, id L08775.
Form and metre
From Contempt of Death in the Better Sort of Spirits is 32 lines in 8 stanzas of 4 lines each. The rhyme scheme is ABAB, complete in 7 of its 8 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 92%). 99% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.0 syllables. 3 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 6% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic pentameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 ABAB despiseA · desireB · liesA · higherB
- 2 A-A- killA · bee · stillA · contrary
- 3 ABAB beeA · taughtB · seeA · naughtB
- 4 ABAB quiteA · runneB · lightA · shunneB
- 5 ABAB erreA · agreeB · preferreA · beeB
- 6 ABAB standA · dependB · brandA · intendB
- 7 ABAB boldA · seasB · coldA · easeB
- 8 ABAB thoughtA · mindB · noughtA · findB
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| For this the better Soules doe oft despise | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| The bodie's death, and doe it oft desire; | 11 | ·/˘·····˘/˘ |
| For when on ground, the burdened ballance lies | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| The emptie part is lifted vp the higher: | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| But if the bodie's death the soule should kill, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Then death must needs against her nature bee; | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| And were it so, all soules would flie it still, | 10 | ·········· |
| "For Nature hates and shunnes her contrary. | 10 | ·/˘····/˘˘ |
| For all things else, which Nature makes to bee, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Their being to preserue, are chiefly taught; | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| And though some things desire a change to see, | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| Yet neuer thing did long to turne to naught. | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| If then by death the soule were quenchèd quite, | 9 | ········· |
| She could not thus against her nature runne; | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Since euery senselesse thing, by Nature's light, | 11 | ········/˘· |
| Doth preservation seeke, destruction shunne. | 10 | ··˘/˘·˘/˘· |
| Nor could the World's best spirits so much erre, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| If death tooke all--that they should all agree, | 10 | ········˘/ |
| Before this life, their honour to preferre; | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| For what is praise to things that nothing bee? | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Againe, if by the bodie's prop she stand; | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| If on the bodie's life, her life depend; | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| As Meleager's on the fatall brand,-- | 9 | ······/˘· |
| The bodie's good shee onely would intend: | 10 | ·/˘··/˘·˘/ |
| We should not find her half so braue and bold, | 10 | ·········· |
| To leade it to the Warres and to the seas; | 10 | ·········· |
| To make it suffer watchings, hunger, cold, | 10 | ···/˘/˘/˘· |
| When it might feed with plenty, rest with ease. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Doubtlesse all Soules have a suruiuing thought; | 9 | ········· |
| Therefore of death we thinke with quiet mind; | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| But if we thinke of being turn'd to nought, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| A trembling horror in our soules we find. | 10 | ·/˘/˘·/··· |
Notes from the edition 1
A. B. Grosart's notes to the Complete Poems of Sir John Davies (Project Gutenberg #44977).
- Stanza 6, line 3 Apollod I., 8, § 2, et alibi: Ovid, Met. viii., 450; et seq: 531: Diod. IV., 34. G.
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