"At the round earth's imagined corners" is one of English poet John Donne's Holy Sonnets, a 19-sonnet sequence in which Donne explores the struggles and consolations of his Christian faith. In this poem, a speaker tries his best to imagine Judgment Day, preparing himself to face God at the end of the world. Though he worries he might be the worst of sinners, he takes comfort in the idea that God's mercy is as infinite as the universe and that forgiveness is always there for the asking. This sonnet, like nearly all of Donne's poetry, was first published in Donne's posthumous collection Poems (1633).
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1At the round earth's imagined corners, blow
2Your trumpets, angels; and arise, arise
3From death, you numberless infinities
4Of souls, and to your scattered bodies go:
5All whom the flood did, and fire shall, o'erthrow,
6All whom war, dearth, age, agues, tyrannies,
7Despair, law, chance hath slain, and you whose eyes
8Shall behold God, and never taste death's woe.
9But let them sleep, Lord, and me mourn a space,
10For, if above all these, my sins abound,
11'Tis late to ask abundance of thy grace
12When we are there. Here on this lowly ground,
13Teach me how to repent; for that's as good
14As if thou hadst sealed my pardon with thy blood.
1At the round earth's imagined corners, blow
2Your trumpets, angels; and arise, arise
3From death, you numberless infinities
4Of souls, and to your scattered bodies go:
5All whom the flood did, and fire shall, o'erthrow,
6All whom war, dearth, age, agues, tyrannies,
7Despair, law, chance hath slain, and you whose eyes
8Shall behold God, and never taste death's woe.
9But let them sleep, Lord, and me mourn a space,
10For, if above all these, my sins abound,
11'Tis late to ask abundance of thy grace
12When we are there. Here on this lowly ground,
13Teach me how to repent; for that's as good
14As if thou hadst sealed my pardon with thy blood.
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'erthrow,
All whom war, dearth, age, agues, 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 these, 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.
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
A Brief Biography — Learn more about Donne's life and work from the British Library.
Donne and the Metaphysicals — Learn more about the 17th-century literary movement for which Donne is the poster boy.
Donne's Legacy — Watch a celebration of Donne filmed at St. Paul's Cathedral, the iconic London church of which he was the Dean.
The Poem Aloud — Listen to the actor Richard Burton performing the poem.
The Poem as a Song — Listen to a musical setting of the poem by composer Willametta Spencer.