A Hymn To God The Father

John Donne 1572 (London) – 1631 (London)



Wilt thou forgive that sin where I begun,
         Which was my sin, though it were done before?
     Wilt thou forgive that sin, through which I run,
         And do run still, though still I do deplore?
             When thou hast done, thou hast not done,
                 For I have more.

     Wilt thou forgive that sin which I have won
         Others to sin, and made my sin their door?
     Wilt thou forgive that sin which I did shun
       A year or two, but wallow'd in, a score?
           When thou hast done, thou hast not done,
               For I have more.

   I have a sin of fear, that when I have spun
       My last thread, I shall perish on the shore;
   But swear by thyself, that at my death thy Son
       Shall shine as he shines now, and heretofore;
           And, having done that, thou hast done;
               I fear no more.

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 02, 2023

44 sec read
273

Quick analysis:

Scheme ababAB ababAB ababab
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 848
Words 146
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6

John Donne

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

All John Donne poems | John Donne Books

48 fans

Discuss the poem A Hymn To God The Father with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "A Hymn To God The Father" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/22446/a-hymn-to-god-the-father>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    2
    days
    12
    hours
    5
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Sestina is made up of how many lines?
    A 6
    B 28
    C 36
    D 39