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charms

Folklore
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Spells, incantations, or objects believed to hold magical power; in folklore poetry, charms serve as protective talismans, invoking luck, warding evil, or binding the speaker to a desired outcome.

Detailed Definition
Here “charms” means magical incantations or enchantments, not simple pleasantness. Donne uses the word alongside “poppy” to show that even magic and medicine can only mimic death’s sleep, not defeat it.
Example
Example in poetry:
“And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well” joins herb lore with protective magic; She wears a charm against nightmares and waking news; The poppy charm is not medicine but an emblem of rest; In contemporary verse, a phone charm glows beside the bed
Additional Notes
In this context, “charms” is a specialized older sense meaning spells or enchantments, which is less familiar than the modern everyday meaning.; Found in the poem, Holy Sonnet 10: Death, Be Not Proud by John Donne
Also Known As
enchantments spells incantations favours
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