Holy Sonnet XVIII: Show me, dear Christ, thy Spouse, so bright and clear
John Donne 1572 (London) – 1631 (London)
Show me, dear Christ, thy Spouse, so bright and clear.
What! is it She, which on the other shore
Goes richly painted? or which, robbed and tore,
Laments and mourns in Germany and here?
Sleeps she a thousand, then peeps up one year?
Is she self-truth and errs? now new, now outwore?
Doth she, and did she, and shall she evermore
On one, on seven, or on no hill appear?
Dwells she with us, or like adventuring knights
First travail we to seek and then make love?
Betray, kind husband, thy spouse to our sights,
And let mine amorous soul court thy mild dove,
Who is most true and pleasing to thee then
When she's embraced and open to most men.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 37 sec read
- 120 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABBCAABADEDEFF |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 635 |
Words | 123 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 14 |
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"Holy Sonnet XVIII: Show me, dear Christ, thy Spouse, so bright and clear" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 8 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/22543/holy-sonnet-xviii:-show-me,-dear-christ,-thy-spouse,-so-bright-and-clear>.
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