Analysis of Holy Sonnet VIII: If Faithfull Soules

John Donne 1572 (London) – 1631 (London)



If faithfull soules be alike glorifi'd
As Angels, then my fathers soul doth see,
And adds this even to full felecitie,
That valiantly I hels wide mouth o'stride:
But if our mindes to these soules be descry'd
By circumstances, and by signes that be
Apparent in us, not immediately,
How shall my mindes white truth by them be try'd?
They see idolatrous lovers weepe and mourne,
And vile blasphemous Conjurers to call
On Jesus name, and Pharisaicall
Dissemblers feigne devotion. Then turne
O pensive soule, to God, for he knows best
Thy true griefe, for he put it in my breast.


Scheme ABAAABBACDDCEE
Poetic Form
Metre 11110110 1101110111 01110111 1100111111 1110111111 110001111 01001101000 1111111111 11010010101 01100111 110101 1101011 1101111111 1111111011
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 582
Words 103
Sentences 4
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 33
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 455
Words per stanza (avg) 101
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

32 sec read
67

John Donne

John Donne was an English poet, satirist, lawyer and a cleric in the Church of England. more…

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