"Death"
By Katherine Philips

  • Transcription, correction, editorial commentary, and markup by Staff and Research Assistants at The University of Virginia, John O'Brien, Sara Brunstetter
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Sources

London : Printed by J.M. for H. Herringman, 1667This text is based on transcriptions created by the Early English Books Online Texts Creation Partnership, a library-based project directed by the University of Michigan and Oxford University. Their digital text was produced from the 1667 edition, published by Henry Herringman in London in 1667, three years after Philips's death, but with the collaboration of her late husband. We have also consulted The Collected Works of Katherine Philips, edited by Patrick Thomas (Essex: Stump Cross Books, 1990), which takes Philips's manuscript versions of her poems as its copytext. Annotations have been provided by faculty and students at the University of Virginia. For a full description of this object, see its ESTC entry.

Editorial Statements

Research informing these annotations draws on publicly-accessible resources, with links provided where possible. Annotations have also included common knowledge, defined as information that can be found in multiple reliable sources. If you notice an error in these annotations, please contact lic.open.anthology@gmail.com.

Original spelling and capitalization is retained, though the long s has been silently modernized and ligatured forms are not encoded.

Hyphenation has not been retained, except where necessary for the sense of the word.

Page breaks have been retained. Catchwords, signatures, and running headers have not. Where pages break in the middle of a word, the complete word has been indicated prior to the page beginning.

Materials have been transcribed from and checked against first editions, where possible. See the Sources section.

Citation

Philips, Katherine. "Death". Poems by the most deservedly admired Mrs. Katherine Philips, the matchless Orinda; to which is added Monsieur Corneille's Pompey & Horace, tragedies; with several other translations out of French, Printed by J.M. for H. Herringman, 1667 . Literature in Context: An Open Anthology. http://anthology.lib.virginia.edu/work/Philips/philips-death. Accessed: 2023-05-28T23:39:28.382Z

Linked Data: Persons and places related to this work.

119 Death. 1How weak a Star doth rule Mankindn001n001Our sun compared to others in the universe is considered weak, and yet if it explodes mankind dies., 2Which owes its ruine to the same 3Causes which Nature had design'd 4To cherish and preserve the frame! 5As Commonwealths may be secure, And so our bodies turn traitorousn002a002We don’t fear outside violence but fear what is in our bodies. Such as mental illness, disease, or aging. 6And no remote Invasion dread; 7Yet may a sadder fall endure 8From Traitors in their bosom bred: 120 9So while we feel no violence,n003n003(DRAFT-I worry this is too interpretive)We are not privy to the knowledge of the world in that we can sense things for example a volcano erupting. 10And on our active Health do trust, 11A secret handn004n004Death or time.doth snatch us hence, 12And tumbles us into the dustn005n005Biblical reference, we start as dust, and then return to dust.. 13Yet careleslyn006n006(DRAFT)As if we are untouchable by death.we run our race, 14As if we could Death's summons wave; 15And think not on the narrow spacen007n007(DRAFT)The narrow space refers to the limited lifespan. 16Between a Table and a Graven008n008A table in which you theoretically enter the world on, and a grave in which you exit the world in.. 17But since we cannot Death reprieve, 18Our Souls and Fame we ought to mind, 19For they our Bodies will survive; 20That goes beyond, this stays behind. 21If I be sure my Soul is safe, 22And that my Actions will provide 23My Tomb a nobler Epitaphn009n009An inscription or written tribute in memory of a person on a tombstone. Source: Oxford English Dictionary, 24Thenn010n010(DRAFT) Is this supposed to read "then" or was this a mistake.that I onely liv'd and dy’d. 25So that in various accidents 26I Conscience may and Honour keep; 27I with that ease and innocence 28Shall die, as Infants go to sleep

Footnotes