# Poetry taken from an Alphabetical List of First Lines



## Rhiannon (Jul 24, 2003)

John Donne meets Lewis Carroll. In my little Thrift edition of 'John Donne- Selected Poems', I found that the alphabetical list of first lines in the back, when read as a poem itself, made a bizarre kind of sense. 

It was roughly 2am when I discovered this.

Some examples:

*A*
All kings, and all their favouritews
As due by many titles I resign
As virtuous men pass mildly away
At the round earth's imagined corners, blow
Away thou fondling motley humorist

*B*
Batter my heart, three-personed God; for, you
Blasted with sighs, surrounded with tears
Busy old fool, unruly sun
By our first strange and fatal interview

*C*
Come live with me, and be my love
Come, Madam, come, all rest my powers defy

*H*
Hail Bishop Valentine, whose day this is
He is stark mad, whoever says

*N*
No spring, nor summer beauty hath such grace
Now thou hast loved me one whole day

*T*
This is my play's last scene, here heavens appoint
This twilight of two years, not past nor next
Though hast made me, and shall thy work decay?
Thou in the fields walkst out thy supping hours
Thou which art I, ('tis nothing to be so)
'Tis the year's midnight, and it is the day's
'Tis true, 'tis day; what though it be?
Twice or thrice had I loved thee

Okay, yes, I am much too easily entertained. But I was greatly amused by this.


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## FoolOfATook (Jul 24, 2003)

Is that a complete list, or have you done some editing? Because there some poems that I don't see there that I can't imagine a collection of Donne not having, including "Death Be Not Proud", "The Flea" and "A Hymn To God The Father".


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## Eriol (Jul 24, 2003)

Hehe, this is great:

"Hail Bishop Valentine, whose day this is
He is stark mad, whoever says"



I found some good examples too, unfortunately in Portuguese.


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## Rhiannon (Jul 24, 2003)

> Is that a complete list, or have you done some editing? Because there some poems that I don't see there that I can't imagine a collection of Donne not having, including "Death Be Not Proud", "The Flea" and "A Hymn To God The Father".



Not a complete list- I didn't feel like typing up the _whole_ list! I skipped some letters that weren't as interesting. And it was 1am and I was a bit groggy. But those _are_ in it, never fear; and speaking of The Flea, my friend and I were talking about it last night- we're both torn between the romantic factor and the *gross* factor.

That's my favorite too, Eriol  Giggling hysterically at 2am is surely good for the immune system, or something.


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