Religion

That mortall Life is a mortall Plague

by John Davies of Hereford c. 1565–1618

From Essaies (1612)

Religion

THis Life, of ours, is call'd Life most amisse;
which may be tearm'd, more truely, lifes disease;
Whose perfect'st Pleasures are oppos'd to Blisse,
and, greatest paines grow from her greatest ease.

One, hath the Plague, we say, and he will dye,
that yet may liue; then much more may we say,
That One hath Life, and Death he cannot flye:
for, Life's a Sicknesse mortall eu'ry way.

Doth mortall life, then, bring the mortall'st death?
then, no Disease so mortall as it is:
A Plague of Plagues then, is our mortall breath;
yet mortall Men would still be plagu'd with this:
Though Life be Plague of Plagues, yet this desire,
Is the high'st Plague, whereto no Plagues aspire.

MLA

Hereford, John Davies of. “That mortall Life is a mortall Plague.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/davies_jh/75/.

Chicago

Hereford, John Davies of. “That mortall Life is a mortall Plague.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/davies_jh/75/.

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