Death, be not proud

     John Donne's poem "Death, be not proud" is extremely moving. Donne seems to be a man that respects death. He seems to look forward to it, since it is inevitable. However, he sees death as being helpful. He sees death as being a minor hiatus from living. He then says "One short sleep passed, we wake eternally, And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die" (972). This last sentence of the poem is beautifully written. Donne says that after we have taken a minor break from living, we return. Death, then, dies. This poem evokes a lot of thought from the reader. How can death die? I really like the perspective he takes on death, saying it is just needed sleep. I don't think Donne is being crazy by saying we wake eternally and that death dies. Perhaps death is merely purgatory, and when we waken eternally we have reached heaven. Whatever, the case, I really like Donne's positive viewpoint on death.