Holy Sonnet XIV: Batter my heart

John Donne 1572 (London) – 1631 (London)



Batter my heart, three-personed God; for You
As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;
That I may rise and stand, o'erthrow me,'and bend
Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new.
I, like an usurped town, to'another due,
Labor to'admit You, but O, to no end;
Reason, Your viceroy'in me, me should defend,
But is captived, and proves weak or untrue.
Yet dearly'I love You,'and would be loved fain,
But am betrothed unto Your enemy.
Divorce me,'untie or break that knot again;
Take me to You, imprison me, for I
Except You'enthrall me, never shall be free,
Nor ever chaste, except You ravish me.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 17, 2023

36 sec read
129

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABBAABBACDEFDD
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 605
Words 114
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14

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

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    "Holy Sonnet XIV: Batter my heart" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/22531/holy-sonnet-xiv:-batter-my-heart>.

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