Welcome back to The Daily Poem here on the Close Reeds Podcast Network.

I'm David Kern.

Today's poem is by John Dunn, who lived from 1572 to 1631.

I was surprised when looking back at the course of this show

that it looks like I've only done one Dunn poem.

Back in the first few weeks

I did death be not proud which is a great poem but today I wanted to do another one of his

sonnets one of his holy sonnets called at the round earth's imagined corners death be not proud is

is one of the holy sonnets and so is batter my heart three-personed god which is one of the Holy Sonnets, and so is batter my heart, three-personed God,

which is one of his most famous poems. Those are his two most famous poems.

But this one, at the round earth's imagined corners, also is included as a holy sonnet.

John Dunn was famously a metaphysical poet, and this is one of the poems that certainly captures that sense in his work.

It goes like this.

At the round earth's imagined corners, blow your trumpets, angels, and arise, arise from death,

you numberless infinities of souls, and to your scattered bodies go, all whom the flood did

and fire shall o'er throw, All whom war, dearth, age,

Ogs, tyrannies, despair, law, chance hath slain, And you whose eyes shall behold God,

And never taste death's woe. But let them sleep, Lord, and me mourn a space. For if above all else my sins abound, tis late to ask abundance of thy grace when we are there.

Here on this lowly ground, teach me how to repent.

For that's as good as if thou hadst sealed my pardon with thy blood.

It seemed appropriate to read a poem about repentance during Lent, for those listeners

who are participating in Lent with your churches and communities.

...