John Donne: Death's Duel

"There we leave you, in that blessed dependency, to hang upon him, that hangs upon the cross. There bathe in his tears, there suck at his wounds, and lie down in peace in his grave, till he vouchsafe you a resurrection, and an ascension into that kingdom which he hath purchased for you, with the inestimable price of his incorruptible blood."

Assim termina o último sermão de John Donne, pregado em 25 de Fevereiro de 1631, no White Hall, perante o rei e a família real. A solenidade litúrgica era a primeira Sexta-feira na Quaresma. Donne subiu ao púlpito tão fragilizado pela doença que a congregação suspeitou que não conseguiria proferi-lo, mas, nos diz o editor da sua obra completa no século XIX (Henry Alford), que, então, uma vontade férrea energizou o fébil corpo para cumprir a tarefa sagrada que lhe havia sido confiada.

O sermão foi publicado no ano seguinte, sob o título Death's Duel, or, A Consolation of the Soul, against the dying Life, and living Death of the Body. O frontispício ainda nos diz que a casa real veio a estimar que, com ele, Donne na verdade pregou o sermão do seu próprio funeral. Em verdade, a doença mostrou-se fatal, e Donne acabou por morrer um mês depois, no dia 31 de Março.

* O ano 1630, no frontispício, é, na verdade 1631 no calendário actual. Na Inglaterra de então segui-se o calendário juliano, cujo ano civil começava a 25 de Março. 

Imagem: British Library.

Citação: Henry Alford (ed.), The Works of John Donne with a Memoir of His Life, vol. 6. London: John W. Parker, 1839, p. 298.

John Donne: Hymn to God, My God, in My Sickness

Since I am coming to that holy room,
Where, with thy choir of saints for evermore,
I shall be made thy music; as I come
I tune the instrument here at the door,
And what I must do then, think here before.

Whilst my physicians by their love are grown
Cosmographers, and I their map, who lie
Flat on this bed, that by them may be shown
That this is my south-west discovery,
Per fretum febris, by these straits to die,

I joy, that in these straits I see my west;
For, though their currents yield return to none,
What shall my west hurt me? As west and east
In all flat maps (and I am one) are one,
So death doth touch the resurrection.

Is the Pacific Sea my home? Or are
The eastern riches? Is Jerusalem?
Anyan, and Magellan, and Gibraltar,
All straits, and none but straits, are ways to them,
Whether where Japhet dwelt, or Cham, or Shem.

We think that Paradise and Calvary,
Christ's cross, and Adam's tree, stood in one place;
Look, Lord, and find both Adams met in me;
As the first Adam's sweat surrounds my face,
May the last Adam's blood my soul embrace.

So, in his purple wrapp'd, receive me, Lord;
By these his thorns, give me his other crown;
And as to others' souls I preach'd thy word,
Be this my text, my sermon to mine own:
"Therefore that he may raise, the Lord throws down."

John Donne: "A Hymn to God the Father" – e Carl Schalk

Wilt thou forgive that sin where I begun,

     Which was my sin, though it were done before?

Wilt thou forgive that sin, through which I run,

     And do run still, though still I do deplore?

          When thou hast done, thou hast not done,
               For I have more.

Wilt thou forgive that sin which I have won

     Others to sin, and made my sin their door?

Wilt thou forgive that sin which I did shun

     A year or two, but wallow'd in, a score?

          When thou hast done, thou hast not done,

               For I have more.

I have a sin of fear, that when I have spun

     My last thread, I shall perish on the shore;

But swear by thyself, that at my death thy Son

     Shall shine as he shines now, and heretofore;

          And, having done that, thou hast done;
               I fear no more.

Ontem à noite, o Aestas Consort, em concerto na Capela de Nosso Senhor, em River Forest, interpretou este poema com música de Carl Schalk (n. 1929). Maurice Boyer, maestro do coro, diz-me que as três peças de Schalk integradas no programa são recentes (2015-16) e que, tanto quanto sabe, ainda não foram gravadas. 

Schalk é um consagrado compositor de vários géneros de música sacra. Figura em várias colectâneas e as suas composições são usadas por diversas tradições religiosas. Dedicou parte substancial da sua vida ao ensino de música na Universidade Concórdia de Chicago. 

Recomendo vivamente. 

John Donne: Holy Sonnet XIV

Batter my heart, three-person’d God, for you
As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;
That I may rise and stand, o’erthrow me, and bend
Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new.
I, like an usurp’d town to another due,
Labor to admit you, but oh, to no end
Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,
But is captiv’d, and proves weak or untrue.
Yet dearly I love you, and would be lov’d fain,
But am betroth’d unto your enemy;
Divorce me, untie or break that knot again,
Take me to you, imprison me, for I,
Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,
Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.


I thank Rev. Andrew T. Yeager for calling my attention to this poem.

With his permission, here are selections of what he wrote about it:

In the poem above, the poet John Donne brilliantly describes his relationship to God. He is like a town that is governed and tyrannized by an evil lord and master, the devil—an usurp’d town to another due. He very much wants God for his new Lord and Master, but he doesn’t have the strength within himself to admit God into his heart. His reason should do the work of opening a door to God. But his reason is held captive, like a prisoner in chains.

The poet wants to love and be loved by God. But he is betrothed to God’s enemy. He cannot free himself from the devil’s lordship over him. His heart is like the heavily armored walls of a fortress town over which the devil keeps watch. He cannot save himself; God alone can rescue him… He understands that God’s work in his life is a paradox: unless God batters and breaks him, he will never be free. Unless God ravishes him, he will never be chaste. God must break him down if he will ever be made new. God must kill him if he will ever live…

If we are saved, it must be completely and totally God who saves us. He must take a breach of the walls and invade the captive city. Apart from God’s work to deliver and save through the redemption of his beloved Son, we are lost forever.