No man is an island entire of itself;
every man is a piece of the continent,
a part of the main;
if a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less,
as well as if a promontory were,
as well as any manner of thy friends or of thine own were;
any man's death diminishes me,
because I am involved in mankind.
And therefore never send to know
for whom the bell tolls;
it tolls for thee.
This is a great favourite of mine. I came across this poem first while reading Hemingway's 'For Whom the Bell Tolls'. This poem highlights the non-dualistic ('advaidic') outlook and stresses the interconnectedness of human beings. The inner core of all beings is the same and hence we are all one. It is illusion (maya) that makes us think we are separate. This illusion divides humanity and leads to all sorts of conflicts and blood-shed. Following article beautifully conveys the essence of this poem: ttp://isu.indstate.edu/ilnprof/ENG451/ISLAND/island.html
Authors Bio, Works and other materials: http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/donne/ and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Donne
every man is a piece of the continent,
a part of the main;
if a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less,
as well as if a promontory were,
as well as any manner of thy friends or of thine own were;
any man's death diminishes me,
because I am involved in mankind.
And therefore never send to know
for whom the bell tolls;
it tolls for thee.
This is a great favourite of mine. I came across this poem first while reading Hemingway's 'For Whom the Bell Tolls'. This poem highlights the non-dualistic ('advaidic') outlook and stresses the interconnectedness of human beings. The inner core of all beings is the same and hence we are all one. It is illusion (maya) that makes us think we are separate. This illusion divides humanity and leads to all sorts of conflicts and blood-shed. Following article beautifully conveys the essence of this poem: ttp://isu.indstate.edu/ilnprof/ENG451/ISLAND/island.html
Authors Bio, Works and other materials: http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/donne/ and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Donne
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