Death Be Not Proud
死神，你莫骄傲

Death Be Not Proud is a poem by English metaphysical poet John Donne, written around 1610 and first published posthumously in 1633. Donne suffered a major illness that brought him close to death during his eighth year as an Anglican minister. The illness may have been typhoid fever, but in recent years it has been shown that he may have had a relapsing fever in combination with other illnesses.
《死神，你莫骄傲》是英国玄学派诗人约翰·邓恩大约1610年创作的一首诗作，直到1633年诗人死后才得以出版。在邓恩担任英国圣公会牧师的第八年，他身染重病，几乎丧命。病因据说是伤寒，但近年来的研究发现也可能是其他疾病引发的回归热。

Death Be Not Proud is among the most famous and most beloved poems in English literature. Its popularity lies in its message of hope couched in eloquent, quotable language. Donne's theme tells the reader that death has no right to be proud, since human beings do not die but live eternally after “one short sleep”. Although some people depict death as mighty and powerful, it is really a lowly slave that depends on luck, accidents, decrees, murder, disease, and war to put men to sleep. But a simple poppy whose seeds provide a juice to make a narcotic and various charms like incantations, amulets and spells can also induce sleep — and do it better than death can. After a human being's soul leaves the body and enters eternity, it lives on; only death dies. To convey his message, Donne relies primarily on personification, a type of metaphor that extends through the entire poem.
《死神，你莫骄傲》是英国文学史上最著名、最为人喜爱的诗作之一。人们喜爱诗中传神、经典的语言以及背后传达的希望精神。邓恩告诉读者死神没有骄傲的权利，因为人不会死亡，只会在“一场短眠”后得到永生。尽管有人认为死神充满力量，无所不能，但他不过是低贱的奴隶，依靠运气、灾祸、法令、谋杀、疾病和战争等让人永眠。殊不知，诸如其种子可以用来制作麻醉药汁的罂粟花以及咒语、护身符、魔法等各类符咒也可以让人入眠，甚至比死神效果更好。人的灵魂离开肉体便进入永生之境，只有死亡已“死”。为了传达这些信息，邓恩采用了拟人的修辞手法，并以此隐喻贯穿全诗。