Donne: Song: Sweetest love I do not go

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Marius Hancu - 14 May 2009 07:17 GMT

Hello:

In
-----
[...]

O how feeble is man's power,
That if good fortune fall,
Cannot add another hour,
Nor a lost hour recall!

[...]

It cannot be
That thou lov'st me, as thou say'st,
If in thine my life thou waste,
Thou art the best of me.

John Donne, p. 81
Song: Sweetest love I do not go .
http://www.poetry.com/LovePoems/lovepoem.asp?id=103
-----
would you take "fall" as "cease" or, instead, as "happen?"

To me, the meaning is: we can't extend good times, when they happen.

Also, in:
"Thou art the best of me"
("thou," as it's in my printed edition, not "that" as it's online)
does it mean
"you have vanquished me, you had the better of myself?"

Signature

Thanks.
Marius Hancu

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Peter Duncanson (BrE) - 14 May 2009 11:35 GMT

>Hello:
>
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
>-----
>would you take "fall" as "cease" or, instead, as "happen?"

Happen.

OED on "fall":

VIII. To occur, come to pass, befall, result

>To me, the meaning is: we can't extend good times, when they happen.
>
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>does it mean
>"you have vanquished me, you had the better of myself?"

I think so.

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Peter Duncanson, UK
(in alt.usage.english)

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Marius.Hancu@gmail.com - 14 May 2009 11:42 GMT

On May 14, 6:35 am, "Peter Duncanson (BrE)" <m...@peterduncanson.net>
wrote:

[snip]

Thank you.
Marius Hancu

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Jerry Friedman - 14 May 2009 20:24 GMT

...

> It cannot be
> That thou lov'st me, as thou say'st,
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> Song: Sweetest love I do not go .http://www.poetry.com/LovePoems/lovepoem.asp?id=103
> -----

...

> Also, in:
> "Thou art the best of me"
> ("thou," as it's in my printed edition, not "that" as it's online)
> does it mean
> "you have vanquished me, you had the better of myself?"

I suspect "that" is right. She can't love him as she says if she
wastes the best of him, which is her.

I agree with Peter on the one I snipped.

--
Jerry Friedman

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Discussion Groups / English Usage / May 2009

Donne: Song: Sweetest love I do not go