Analysis of Hym To God, My God In My Sickness

John Donne 1572 (London) – 1631 (London)



Since I am coming to that holy room,
         Where, with thy choir of saints for evermore,
     I shall be made thy music; as I come
         I tune the instrument here at the door,
         And what I must do then, think here before.

Whilst my physicians by their love are grown
         Cosmographers, and I their map, who lie
     Flat on this bed, that by them may be shown
         That this is my south-west discovery,
       [lang l]Per fretum febris[lang e], by these straits to die,

pmdv3 n='33-11'>   I joy, that in these straits I see my west;
       For, though their currents yield return to none,
   What shall my west hurt me? As west and east
       In all flat maps (and I am one) are one,
       So death doth touch the resurrection.

Is the Pacific Sea my home? Or are
       The eastern riches? Is Jerusalem?
   Anyan, and Magellan, and Gibraltar,
       All straits, and none but straits, are ways to them,
       Whether where Japhet dwelt, or Cham, or Shem.

We think that Paradise and Calvary,
       Christ's cross, and Adam's tree, stood in one place;
   Look, Lord, and find both Adams met in me;
       As the first Adam's sweat surrounds my face,
       May the last Adam's blood my soul embrace.

So, in his purple wrapp'd, receive me, Lord;
       By these his thorns, give me his other crown;
   And as to others' souls I preach'd thy word,
       Be this my text, my sermon to mine own:
   'Therefore that he may raise, the Lord throws down.'


Scheme ABCBB DEDFE XGXGG XCXXA FHFHH XIXDI
Poetic Form Tetractys  (20%)
Metre 1111011101 1111011110 1111110111 1101001101 0111111101 1101011111 1011111 1111111111 1111110100 1111111111 11111110111111 1111010111 1111111101 0111011111 11110010 1001011111 0101010100 100100010 1101111111 101111111 111100100 1101011011 1101110101 1011010111 1011011101 1011010111 1111111101 0111011111 1111110111 111110111
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,466
Words 252
Sentences 10
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
Lines Amount 30
Letters per line (avg) 33
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 167
Words per stanza (avg) 42
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 02, 2023

1:17 min read
90

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

51 fans

Discuss this John Donne poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

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

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Hym To God, My God In My Sickness" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 20 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/22545/hym-to-god%2C-my-god-in-my-sickness>.

    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!

    May 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    11
    days
    19
    hours
    48
    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?

    »
    Lewis Carroll wrote: "You are old father William, the young man said..."
    A "and your eyes have become less bright"
    B "and you're going to die tonight"
    C "and your hair has become very white"
    D "and you seem to have lost your sight"