Analysis of Holy Sonnet XVIII: Show me, dear Christ

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.


Scheme ABBCAABADEDEFF
Poetic Form
Metre 1111111101 1111110101 1101011101 0101010001 1101011111 1111011111 1101101110 11110111101 11111111 1011110111 01110111101 01110011111 1111010111 1101010111
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 635
Words 123
Sentences 11
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 35
Words per line (avg) 9
Letters per stanza (avg) 491
Words per stanza (avg) 121
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 01, 2023

37 sec read
161

John Donne

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

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