Holy Sonnet 14

by John Donne

The famous Holy Sonnet 14 by John Donne that starts "Batter my heart ..."

Genres: Poetry, Classics, Read For School, British Literature, School, Christian

1 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 9, 2012

About the author

John Donne was an English poet, preacher and a major representative of the metaphysical poets of the period. His works are notable for their realistic and sensual style and include sonnets, love poetry, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs, satires and sermons. His poetry is noted for its vibrancy of language and inventiveness of metaphor, especially as compared to that of his contemporaries.

Despite his great education and poetic talents, he lived in poverty for several years, relying heavily on wealthy friends. In 1615 he became an Anglican priest and, in 1621, was appointed the Dean of St Paul's Cathedral in London.

Reviews

[John Yelverton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I realize what John Donne is going for here. He's trying to profess love and devotion to God while professing hatred for Satan, yet his use of marriage language to express this gets really uncomfortable at the end.

[Haneen A. Hijjawi]

Batter my heart, three-person'd 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 usurp'd town to another due,

Labor to admit you, but oh, to no end;

Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,

But is captiv'd, and proves weak or untrue.

Yet dearly I love you, and would be lov'd fain,

But am betroth'd 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

[Preetam Chatterjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Notwithstanding all his sins, the poet loves God, as a woman loves her object of love, and wishes to be loved by Him in return. But the trouble is that he is like a woman married to the Devil, God's adversary, though in love with Him. The poet, consequently, prays to Him to release him from this incarceration and make him a prisoner in His embrace. The poet wishes to be loved by Him and trapped by Him, because it is only such an incarceration which would make him indeed free (from evil). He should become seamlessly virtuous only when God has ravished him, i.e. fully possessed him. (Such a possession of his body and soul by God would mean that he has been freed from the clutches of the Devil. Then he would be a sinner no more, but would become flawlessly unsullied.)

[ally douglas? · Rating 3 out of 5]

- Marriage as the relationship between God and Man; Christ and Church symbolizing him and his bride
- Not worthy enough for God's love but still yearns for it
- Reason proves futile to love (?)
- Speaker compares himself to 1) an invaded town 2) a lover engaged to Satan
- Themes of agony, religious doubt, faith as erotic (perverted) love
- Filled with consonance and cacophony

[Rabbia Riaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

O Three-perso'd God....
Remould my heart by breaking, blowing and burning...

[Andy Hickman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Batter My Heart, Three-Person'd God
Holy Sonnet XIV
One of my all-time favourite poems, an anthem, a mantra
“.. you ravish me.” *****

[pluto (elif) · Rating 4 out of 5]

bible smut read free online

[Eli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Content warnings: themes of domestic violence, emotional abuse

Beautiful language, but weird meaning in this poem.

On second reading, this poem seems more much interesting and twisted. It has some problematic meanings however, as the speaker asks God to 'batter' him into submission.

[Andy Hickman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Batter My Heart, Three-Person’d God
Holy Sonnet XIV
One of my all-time favourite poems, an anthem, a mantra
“.. you ravish me.” *****

[Lana Pavlaković]

This is creepy.