Deare Thom
Tell her if she to hired servants shewDislike, before they take their leave they goe;When nobler spirits start at no disgrace,For who hath but one minde, hath but one face:If then why I tooke not my leave she aske,Aske her againe why she did not unmaske?Was she or proud or cruell, or knew shee'Twould make my losse more felt, and pittyed me?Or did she feare one kisse might stay for moe?Or else was she unwilling I should goe?I thinke the best, and love so faithfullyI cannot chuse but thinke that she loves mee.If this prove not my faith, then let her trieHow in her service I would fructifie.Ladies have boldly lov'd; bid her renewThat decay'd worth, and prove the times past true.Then he whose wit and verse goes now so lame,With songs to her will the wild Irish tame.Howe'r, I'll weare the black and white ribband,White for her fortunes, blacke for mine shall stand.I doe esteeme her favours, not their stuffe;If what I have was given, I have enough:And all's well; for had she lov'd, I had hadAll my friends hate; for now, departing sadI feele not that; Yet as the Rack the GoutCures, so hath this worse griefe that quite put out:My first disease nought but that worse cureth,Which (which I dare foresee) nought cures but death.Tell her all this before I am forgot,That not too late shee grieve shee lov'd me not.Burden'd with this, I was to depart lesseWilling, then those which die, and not confesse.
An Elegie, complayning a want of complement in his mistrisse,Thomas Roe. 1603. S
Words in this poem
- shew n.
- Show. [Obs. except in shewbread.]
- cruell a.
- Disposed to give pain to others; willing or pleased to hurt, torment, or afflict; destitute of sympathetic kindness and pity; savage; inhuman; hard-hearted; merciless. [F. cruel, fr. L. crudelis, fr. crudus. See Crude.]
- losse n.
- Praise. See Loos.
- boldly adv.
- In a bold manner. [AS. bealdlice.]
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- foresee v. i.
- To have or exercise foresight.
- depart v. i.
- To part; to divide; to separate. [OE. departen to divide, part, depart, F. départir to divide, distribute, se départir to separate one's self, depart; pref. dé- (L. de) + partir to part, depart,]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Deare Thom is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poems of John Donne, Volume 1 (of 2) Edited from the Old Editions and Numerous Manuscripts, Project Gutenberg ebook #48688; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: John Donne, Deare Thom, in Poems (1633), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #48688, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/donne-poems/deare-thom.html, id L05039.
Form and metre
Deare Thom is 34 lines in 2 verse paragraphs. It is in rhyming couplets, 76% of the lines: heroic couplets. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 79%). 98% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.0 syllables. 2 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 29% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in heroic couplets, other poems in iambic pentameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 --AABBCCDD-CC-EEFFGGHHIIJJKKLLMM shew · goe · disgraceA · faceA · askeB · unmaskeB · sheeC · meC · moeD · goeD · faithfully · meeC · trieC · fructifie · renewE · trueE · lameF · tameF · ribbandG · standG · stuffeH · enoughH · hadI · sadI · goutJ · outJ · curethK · deathK · forgotL · notL · lesseM · confesseM
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Tell her if she to hired servants shew | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| Dislike, before they take their leave they goe; | 10 | ˘/········ |
| When nobler spirits start at no disgrace, | 10 | ·/˘/˘···˘/ |
| For who hath but one minde, hath but one face: | 10 | ·········· |
| If then why I tooke not my leave she aske, | 10 | ·········· |
| Aske her againe why she did not unmaske? | 10 | ·········· |
| Was she or proud or cruell, or knew shee | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| 'Twould make my losse more felt, and pittyed me? | 10 | ········˘· |
| Or did she feare one kisse might stay for moe? | 10 | ·········· |
| Or else was she unwilling I should goe? | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| I thinke the best, and love so faithfully | 10 | ·······/˘˘ |
| I cannot chuse but thinke that she loves mee. | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| If this prove not my faith, then let her trie | 10 | ·········· |
| How in her service I would fructifie. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Ladies have boldly lov'd; bid her renew | 10 | /˘·/˘···˘/ |
| That decay'd worth, and prove the times past true. | 10 | ·˘/······· |
| Then he whose wit and verse goes now so lame, | 10 | ·········· |
| With songs to her will the wild Irish tame. | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Howe'r, I'll weare the black and white ribband, | 10 | /˘······/˘ |
| White for her fortunes, blacke for mine shall stand. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| I doe esteeme her favours, not their stuffe; | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| If what I have was given, I have enough: | 10 | ·····/··˘/ |
| And all's well; for had she lov'd, I had had | 10 | ·········· |
| All my friends hate; for now, departing sad | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| I feele not that; Yet as the Rack the Gout | 11 | ··········· |
| Cures, so hath this worse griefe that quite put out: | 10 | ·········· |
| My first disease nought but that worse cureth, | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| Which (which I dare foresee) nought cures but death. | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| Tell her all this before I am forgot, | 10 | ········˘/ |
| That not too late shee grieve shee lov'd me not. | 10 | ·········· |
| Burden'd with this, I was to depart lesse | 10 | /˘·····˘/· |
| Willing, then those which die, and not confesse. | 10 | /˘········ |
| An Elegie, complayning a want of complement in his mistrisse, | 16 | ··········/˘···· |
| Thomas Roe. 1603. S | 4 | /˘·· |
Notes from the edition 9
Herbert Grierson's record of the readings of the early editions and manuscripts, from his Poems of John Donne (Oxford, 1912; Project Gutenberg #48688).
- Stanza 1, line 5 tooke A10, B, L74, O'F, S: take 1635-69
- Stanza 1, line 14 I would 1635-69: it will A10, L74, S
- Stanza 1, line 17 goes now so Ed: goe now so B: growes now so 1635-69, O'F: now goes thus A10, L74, S
- Stanza 1, line 21 favours, not their B, L74, S: favour, not the 1635-69
- Stanza 1, line 22 enough: Ed: enough, 1635-69
- Stanza 1, line 23 had had] had not had 1635-69, O'F
- Stanza 1, line 24 hate;] hate 1635: hate, 1639-69
- Stanza 1, line 26 out:] out. 1635
- Stanza 1, line 28 Which (which I dare foresee) nought A10, B, L74, S: Which (I dare foresay) nothing 1635-69
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