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| A chapel in the Santissima Annunziata, Firenze. |
Death be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for, thou art not so,
For, those, whom thou think'st, thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures bee,
Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee doe goe,
Rest of their bones, and souls deliverie.
Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poyson, warre, and sicknesse dwell,
And poppie, or charmes can make us sleepe as well,
And better then thy stroake; why swell'st thou then;
One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.
Mighty and dreadful, for, thou art not so,
For, those, whom thou think'st, thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures bee,
Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee doe goe,
Rest of their bones, and souls deliverie.
Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poyson, warre, and sicknesse dwell,
And poppie, or charmes can make us sleepe as well,
And better then thy stroake; why swell'st thou then;
One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.
John Donne, 1610
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| Light breaks through the enfilade between chapels inside Santissima Annunziata |
Until I can create a fitting tribute for my father, I can but offer John Donne, and a black chapel in Florence.
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photos in this post © 2014 by Lynne Rutter
click on images to view larger
Crucifix carved by Antonio and Guiliano da Sangallo, 1483
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As I look at these images, I'm struck by how much history these walls have seen, and that in turn leads me to focus on the bottom part of the walls, which have obviously seen so much extra wear. I wonder if what we're seeing here is the result of the Arno flooding?
ReplyDeleteThere is a trompe l'oeil painted dado which is light and in contrast with the deep purple/black of the upper walls, but yes I am pretty sure the 1966 flood is to blame for much of the damage you see about from about 60" on down. This is one area of this church which has not yet been restored. I rather like its moody decay though.
DeleteBeautiful poem, sublime space...a lovely start to my day!
ReplyDeleteA wonderful tribute it is Lynne. Thank you so much for sharing this with us!
ReplyDeletexoxo
Karena
The Arts by Karena