Analysis of TO Mr. Samuel Brooke

John Donne 1572 (London) – 1631 (London)



O THOU which to search out the secret parts
Of the India, or rather Paradise
Of knowledge, hast with courage and advice
Lately launch'd into the vast sea of arts ;
Disdain not in thy constant travelling
To do as other voyagers, and make
Some turns into less creeks, and wisely take
Fresh water at the Heliconian spring.
I sing not, siren-like, to tempt, for I
Am harsh ; nor as those schismatics with you,
Which draw all wits of good hope to their crew ;
But seeing in you bright sparks of poetry,
I, though I brought no fuel, had desire
With these articulate blasts to blow the fire.


Scheme ABBACDDCEFFGHH
Poetic Form
Metre 1111110101 1010011010 1101110001 1010101111 0110110100 1111010001 1101110101 1101011 1111011111 11111111 1111111111 11001111100 11111101010 11010111010
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 579
Words 109
Sentences 3
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 33
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 457
Words per stanza (avg) 110
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

33 sec read
86

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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