Analysis of His Meditation Upon Death

Robert Herrick 1591 (London) – 1674 (Dean Prior)



BE those few hours, which I have yet to spend,
Blest with the meditation of my end;
Though they be few in number, I'm content;
If otherwise, I stand indifferent,
Nor makes it matter, Nestor's years to tell,
If man lives long, and if he live not well.
A multitude of days still heaped on
Seldom brings order, but confusion.
Might I make choice, long life should be with-stood;
Nor would I care how short it were, if good;
Which to effect, let ev'ry passing bell
Possess my thoughts, next comes my doleful knell;
And when the night persuades me to my bed,
I'll think I'm going to be buried;
So shall the blankets which come over me
Present those turfs, which once must cover me;
And with as firm behaviour I will meet
The sheet I sleep in, as my winding-sheet.
When Sleep shall bathe his body in mine eyes,
I will believe, that then my body dies;
And if I chance to wake, and rise thereon,
I'll have in mind my resurrection,
Which must produce me to that Gen'ral Doom,
To which the peasant, so the prince must come,
To hear the Judge give sentence on the Throne,
Without the least hope of affection.
Tears, at that day, shall make but weak defense,
When Hell and horror fright the conscience.
Let me, though late, yet at the last, begin
To shun the least temptation to a sin;
Though to be tempted be no sin, until
Man to th'alluring object gives his will.
Such let my life assure me, when my breath
Goes thieving from me, I am safe in death;
Which is the height of comfort, when I fall,
I rise triumphant in my funeral.


Scheme AABCDDEFGGDDHIJJKKLLMFNOPFQRSSTTUUVW
Poetic Form
Metre 11110111111 110010111 1111010110 11011010 111101111 1111011111 01011111 101101010 1111111111 1111111011 110111101 0111111101 0101011111 111101110 1101011101 1011111101 01111111 0111011101 1111110011 1101111101 0111110101 11011010 110111111 1101010111 1101110101 010111010 1111111101 110101010 1111110101 1101010101 1111011101 111101010111 1111011111 1101111101 1101110111 1101001100
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,522
Words 289
Sentences 8
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 36
Lines Amount 36
Letters per line (avg) 32
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 1,168
Words per stanza (avg) 287
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:29 min read
123

Robert Herrick

Robert Herrick was born in London, England, in 1591. He was apprenticed to a goldsmith (his uncle, Sir William), but went to Cambridge, at St John's, in 1613. He was ordained at Peterborough in 1623 and became chaplain to the Duke of Buckingham a few years later. "Hesperides" - a collection of 1200 lyrical poems - was published in 1648 and it remained his magnum opus. Herrick died in 1674, aged 83. more…

All Robert Herrick poems | Robert Herrick Books

5 fans

Discuss this Robert Herrick poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "His Meditation Upon Death" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 3 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/31310/his-meditation-upon-death>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    June 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    27
    days
    23
    hours
    31
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who wrote the poem "Ozymandias"?
    A Rainer Maria Rilke
    B Rudyard Kipling
    C Percy Bysshe Shelley
    D William Wordsworth