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Rate this poem:4.1 / 107 votes
Twice or thrice had I loved thee,
Before I knew thy face or name;
So in a voice, so in a shapeless flame,
Angels affect us oft, and worshipped be;
Still when, to where thou wert, I came,
Some lovely glorious nothing I did see.
But since my soul, whose child love is,
Takes limbs of flesh, and else could nothing do,
More subtle than the parent is,
Love must not be, but take a body too;
And therefore what thou wert, and who,
I bid love ask, and now
That it assume thy body I allow,
And fix itself to thy lip, eye, and brow.

Whilst thus to ballast love I thought,
And so more steadily to have gone,
With wares which would sink admiration,
I saw I had love's pinnace overfraught
Every thy hair for love to work upon
Is much too much, some fitter must be sought;
For, nor in nothing, nor in things
Extreme and scatt'ring bright, can love inhere.
Then as an angel, face and wings
Of air, not pure as it, yet pure doth wear,
So thy love may be my love's sphere.
Just such disparity
As is 'twixt air and angel's purity,
'Twixt women's love and men's will ever be.

About this poem

"Air and Angels" is a poem by the metaphysical poet John Donne, first published in 1633 as part of his collection of poems entitled "Songs and Sonnets". The poem explores the theme of the nature of love and the relationship between the physical and spiritual aspects of human experience. The speaker begins by describing how physical beauty, represented by "air", is fleeting and transitory. However, the speaker then goes on to describe how the love between two people can transcend the physical realm and become something more spiritual, represented by "angels". Through the use of intricate metaphors and wordplay, Donne presents a complex and nuanced view of love and the human experience, making "Air and Angels" one of his most celebrated works. 

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Modified by acronimous on February 19, 2023

1:11 min read
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John Donne

 · 1572 · London

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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Discuss the poem Air And Angels with the community...

62 Comments
  • Stevesgal
    I found his poetry to be sadly daunting and yet peaceful and fulfilling he speaks of love as if it is something fleeting but beautiful and touching. He reaches for it but yet evades it all in the same breath, actually kind of haunting. 
    LikeReply6 days ago
  • jonsaviours
    391 years and this poem still hits.
    LikeReply 18 days ago
  • beesora113
    Lovely poem
    LikeReply11 days ago
  • nelzealoursmotoe1
    I just love the language here awesome
    LikeReply1 month ago
  • Christin.i.a.hogan
    May all be blessed with love this way
    LikeReply1 month ago
  • alvinl.62833
    This poem delves into love in depth and different aspects, showing the masterful creativity of Donne.
    LikeReply1 month ago
  • Juicykid85
    I don't even know what to say
    LikeReply1 month ago
  • alanswansea18
    Beautiful piece of art.
    LikeReply2 months ago
  • siokhian
    A very profound description of love
    LikeReply2 months ago
  • Paige123
    A very beautiful and engaging poem.
    LikeReply2 months ago
  • joshuad.01241
    Interesting enough, this poem delves deeper than the average thought. Angels and love, words well placed and organised. A part 2 would be appreciated.
    LikeReply2 months ago
    • Capgras19
      he cant make a part 2. the poet john donne died in 1631
      LikeReply18 days ago
  • Pruett1023
    This is so beautiful. I really enjoyed reading your post. Keep up the good work.
    LikeReply2 months ago
  • mayukhsarkar2022
    What a beautiful poem
    LikeReply2 months ago
  • billj.27291
    what has this changed, better all
    LikeReply2 months ago
  • joshuad.01241
    Shakespeare recollected, indeed.
    LikeReply 12 months ago
  • Shocam
    Amazing!!
    LikeReply 12 months ago
  • gulzaib_h
    Wonderful
    LikeReply 12 months ago
  • fina_a
    What a lovely poem
    LikeReply3 months ago
  • Pruett1023
    Nice poem! I enjoyed reading this.
    LikeReply3 months ago
  • kazbrekker
    The use of words is so flawless that it's just beautiful
    LikeReply3 months ago
  • kem330
    Beautifully written!
    LikeReply 13 months ago
  • Adroity
    Awesome
    LikeReply3 months ago
  • ezrayoungboy
    the comparison of love transcendent into angels beyond is an interesting personification of romance
    LikeReply 13 months ago
  • afamefuna.samuel56
    Beautiful
    LikeReply3 months ago
  • Emile
    I still love his poems until this very day
    LikeReply3 months ago
  • devparth9784
    very beautiful poem
    LikeReply3 months ago
  • devparth9784
    Such a master piece
    LikeReply3 months ago
  • MRKING
    Beautifully written piece. The metaphors are beautiful and really enhance the piece.
    LikeReply3 months ago
  • RhysHolmes
    This poem shows a true heart. It is well written and beautifully executed.
    LikeReply4 months ago
  • aliciam.47728
    The grammar used in this timeless piece gives this poem class
    LikeReply4 months ago
  • A.R.K
    A beautiful and well written piece.
    LikeReply4 months ago
  • amandak
    Beautiful
    LikeReply 14 months ago
    • JLane
      It certainly is.
      LikeReply4 months ago
  • jackg.26131
    Wonderful use of metaphysics with the angels etc thrown in as a contrast really good the old ones usually are though we still talking about it
    LikeReply4 months ago
  • Dianejean57
    Beautiful.
    LikeReply4 months ago
  • grs5757
    Beautiful! Well written and with a show of true heart
    LikeReply4 months ago
  • MaliMis1986
    All I can say is your poem is absolutely beautiful!

    Keep up the amazing work!
    LikeReply4 months ago
  • alanswansea18
    Beautiful.
    LikeReply4 months ago
  • jazyiah150502
    I really liked your poem it just touches me.
    LikeReply5 months ago
  • nooshin
    the magic of the poem is in the opening stanza especially the first 2 lines: loving a person two or three times even before knowing her face or name! then the firework in the mind begins and the poet shows how this is possible... at the end you come to a new understanding of love... beautiful! 
    LikeReply 25 months ago
    • Ruthmahogany
      I like how you articulated this. ✌
      LikeReply 13 months ago
    • nooshin
      thanks! glad you liked my impression... this poem is so magical!
      LikeReply3 months ago
  • nwafor_a
    Love is sometimes deeper than what the eyes sees. It becomes an appreciation of what the heart craves.
    LikeReply5 months ago
  • JdeLorenzo08
    I love this ! Nicely done .
    LikeReply6 months ago
  • Hazelmarie2024
    Amazing
    LikeReply6 months ago
  • LatinX
    Wow! Loved it.
    LikeReply6 months ago
  • amandak.45897
    Well written, thanks for sharing
    LikeReply7 months ago
  • LesleyJane
    Poetic use of prose yet I am a little confused by some of its meaning. I shall reflect on it.
    LikeReply 17 months ago
  • amyf.53811
    Well written. Classic.
    LikeReply7 months ago
  • PixieLove24
    Driven. Love of soulmate to soulmate to me this was so fiery.
    LikeReply9 months ago
  • heathert.34240
    Perfect insights
    LikeReply 211 months ago
  • petergartner
    What, technically, is the variable metre he uses ?
    LikeReply1 year ago
  • ritchiechelle
    This is just amazing. Really makes you think
    LikeReply1 year ago
  • vandhana_k
    Good support
    LikeReply 11 year ago
  • dougb.19255
    Enjoy the precise structuring of sonnets with John Donne. Perhaps only Elizabeth Barrett Browning is on a par with him.
    LikeReply 11 year ago
  • yomihabib
    What's the message about angel and others?
    LikeReply 11 year ago
  • vandhana_k
    Good theme idea.
    LikeReply1 year ago
  • kimba75
    Wow! Deep! Shows how love can affect us in more than one way.
    LikeReply1 year ago
  • jerrywlawrence2666
    Simply Classic. I Respect Mr. Donne's Place As A Forefather.
    LikeReply1 year ago
  • 1902757
    My opinion is that Nightingaleprince has three brain cells and that this poem is classical and beautiful.
    LikeReply 11 year ago
    • NightingalePrince
      perhaps, his blend of satire and religious connotation is strikingly unfamiliar to my palate.
      LikeReply9 months ago
  • dougb.19255
    Right after the Great Fire of London, John Donne took off with a bunch of spiritual writings, including the Holy Sonnets. They are excellent. But nightingaleprince says that he has no patience for it, doesn’t understand it. Yikes!Slow down Buddy. 
    LikeReply1 year ago
  • NightingalePrince
    i don't like this poem at all because it is difficult to understand. what on earth was he really talking about?
    LikeReply 11 year ago
    • stevekritselis_1
      totally agree. No idea what the hell it's about or what I'm supposed to get out of it. I feel stupid for reading it and don't like work that is condense ting or something trying to be intelligent and beyond the comprension of most people. IDK just didn't like it 
      LikeReply1 year ago
    • musclegirl
      He sees his angel and falls in love with her but he has to remind himself that she doesn’t have a body so it cannot be. Perhaps she is in him or she is in the air. But she is not there in the flesh and the feelings of despair overwhelm him . He realizes the truth until he sees her again. 
      LikeReply 11 year ago
  • CHenderson
    This is a wonderful poem. That was written beautifully it follows the criteria like no other. I loved this and it’s very realistic and relatable
    LikeReply1 year ago
  • luisestable1
    This is a great poem and about it much could be said. The thing here is between the flesh and the spiritual represented by "air" and angels".
    Donne does a marvelous job developing this poem in every line. One needs to pay attention to each word and each verse to get the most out these lines. 
    LikeReply 11 year ago
  • jennifert.99162
    Wonderful job. Really enjoyed it.
    LikeReply 11 year ago

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