Poetry and Judgment Day 2: John Donne’s Holy Sonnet 4 “At the round earths imagined corners” (Podcast)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 15:51 — 14.5MB)

John Donne, the brilliant 17th century Anglican priest-poet, wrote a marvelous sonnet sequence called the Holy Sonnets. One of these is a reflection on the Second Coming of Christ, that is, Judgment Day. In this short podcast (about 15 minutes) I discuss the rich imagery of “At the round earth’s imagined corners” and its relevance to us as we read it today. In this sonnet, Donne draws us in to reckon the “numberless infinities of souls” and yet brings us, individually, to the foot of the Cross. The text of the poem is below; click here to listen to the podcast audio in a new window, or just use the player below.

Holy Sonnet 4 (in the Revised Sequence) by John Donne

At the round Earth’s imagin’d corners, blowe
Your Trumpetts Angells: and arise, arise
From Death, you nomberlesse infinities
Of Soules, and to your scattred Bodies goe,
All whom the floud did, and fire shall overthrowe
All whom Warr, Dearth, age, agues, tyrannies,
Despaire, Lawe, Chaunce, hath slaine, and you whose eyes,
Shall behold God, and neuer tast Deaths woe,
But lett them sleepe Lord, and mee mourne a space
For,if aboue all these, my sinnes abound
‘Tis late to aske aboundance of thy grace,
When wee are there; here on this lowly ground,
Teach mee howe to repent; for thats as good
As if thou’hadst seal’d my Pardon with thy bloud.

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