Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781419115745)

Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions is a collection of meditations and prayers written by the English poet and cleric John Donne. The book was first published in 1624 and is based on a series of sermons Donne gave while he was seriously ill. The book is divided into 23 sections, each corresponding to a different day of Donne's illness. Each section begins with a meditation on a particular aspect of life, death, and spirituality, followed by a prayer. Donne's meditations explore themes such as the nature of suffering, the relationship between the body and the soul, and the role of faith in times of crisis. The book is notable for its introspective and deeply personal tone, as Donne reflects on his own mortality and the meaning of his life. Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions is considered one of Donne's most important works and has been widely read and studied for its insights into Christian spirituality and the human condition. The book has influenced many writers and thinkers, including T.S. Eliot, who quoted from it in his poem ""The Waste Land.""WHAT will not kill a man if a vapour will? How great an elephant, how small a mouse destroys! To die by a bullet is the soldier's daily bread; but few men die by hail-shot. A man is more worth than to be sold for single money; a life to be valued above a trifle. If this were a violent shaking of the air by thunder or by cannon, in that case the air is condensed above the thickness of water, of water baked into ice, almost petrified, almost made stone, and no wonder that kills; but that which is but a vapour, and a vapour not forced but breathed, should kill, that our nurse should overlay us, and air that nourishes us should destroy us, but that it is a half atheism to murmur against Nature, who is God's immediate commissioner, who would not think himself miserable to be put into the hands of Nature.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

Author: John Donne
ISBN-10: 141911574X
ISBN-13: 9781419115745
Publisher: Kessinger Publishing
Language: English
Published: 06/17/2004
Pages: 116
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.47lbs
Size: 9.25h x 7.50w x 0.24d