Analysis of Holy Sonnet XIX: Oh, to Vex Me

John Donne 1572 (London) – 1631 (London)



Oh, to vex me, contraryes meet in one:
Inconstancy unnaturally hath begott
A constant habit; that when I would not
I change in vowes, and in devotione.
As humorous is my contritione
As my prophane Love, and as soone forgott:
As ridlingly distemper'd, cold and hott,
As praying, as mute; as infinite, as none.
I durst not view heaven yesterday; and to day
In prayers, and flattering speaches I court God:
To morrow I quake with true feare of his rod.
So my devout fitts come and go away
Like a fantistique Ague: save that here
Those are my best dayes, when I shake with feare.


Scheme ABBAABBABBBCDD
Poetic Form
Metre 11111101 01000100011 0101011111 1101001 1100111 11110111 111101 11011110011 11111010011 0101001111 11011111111 1101110101 1011111 1111111111
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 583
Words 108
Sentences 5
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 32
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 448
Words per stanza (avg) 106
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 02, 2023

32 sec read
315

John Donne

John Donne was an English poet, satirist, lawyer and a cleric in the Church of England. more…

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