Original poem reprinted online here: "Donne, They Say" by John Savoie More information about the Poet: John Savoie This poem is in two parts -- the "rumors" of John Donne, and the reader's reaction to said rumors. This piece is a light piece (something Donne would write in the beginning of his poetic career) which contrasts Donne's hard and serious religious style (near the end of his life). Donne, they say, duelled death, preached his own funeral, hymned his own requiem, then slid his sunken corpse into the clear flowing stream. The terse lines bring a sense of speed to the poem, and the verbs of the beginning of the lines punctuate his actions rather than focus on the results. Yes, Donne died., but how: preaching, creating hymns, sliding in to a clear flowing stream. These actions are what Donne is about. However, the key idea in this first part is deciphering "they" -...
Formerly the RetailMFA, This is the Poetry Blog of Darrell Dela Cruz