Analysis of The Paradox
John Donne 1572 (London) – 1631 (London)
No Lover saith, I love, nor any other
Can judge a perfect Lover;
Hee thinkes that else none can, nor will agree
That any loves but hee;
I cannot say I'lov'd. for who can say
Hee was kill'd yesterday?
Lover withh excesse of heat, more yong than old,
Death kills with too much cold;
Wee dye but once, and who lov'd last did die,
Hee that saith twice, doth lye:
For though hee seeme to move, and stirre a while,
It doth the sense beguile.
Such life is like the light which bideth yet
When the lights life is set,
Or like the heat, which fire in solid matter
Leave behinde, two houres after.
Once I lov's and dy'd; and am now become
Mine Epitaph and Tombe.
Here dead men speake their last, and so do I;
Love-slaine, loe, here I lye.
Scheme | AABBCCDDEEFFGGAAHHEE |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Tetractys (25%) Etheree (20%) |
Metre | 11011111010 1100110 1111111101 110111 1101111111 11110 1011111111 111111 1111011111 111111 1111110101 110101 111101111 101111 110111001010 111110 1110101101 11001 1111110111 111111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 717 |
Words | 144 |
Sentences | 7 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 20 |
Lines Amount | 20 |
Letters per line (avg) | 28 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 552 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 142 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 29, 2023
- 45 sec read
- 267 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"The Paradox" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/22603/the-paradox>.
Discuss this John Donne poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In