Elegie VI
Oh, let mee not serve so, as those men serveWhom honours smoakes at once fatten and sterve;Poorely enrich't with great mens words or lookes;Nor so write my name in thy loving bookesAs those Idolatrous flatterers, which stillTheir Princes stiles, with many Realmes fulfillWhence they no tribute have, and where no sway.Such services I offer as shall payThemselves, I hate dead names: Oh then let meeFavorite in Ordinary, or no favorite bee.When my Soule was in her owne body sheath'd,Nor yet by oathes betroth'd, nor kisses breath'dInto my Purgatory, faithlesse thee,Thy heart seem'd waxe, and steele thy constancie:So, carelesse flowers strow'd on the waters face,The curled whirlepooles suck, smack, and embrace,Yet drowne them; so, the tapers beamie eyeAmorously twinkling, beckens the giddie flie,Yet burnes his wings; and such the devill is,Scarce visiting them, who are intirely his.When I behold a streame, which, from the spring,Doth with doubtfull melodious murmuring,Or in a speechlesse slumber, calmely rideHer wedded channels bosome, and then chideAnd bend her browes, and swell if any boughDo but stoop downe, or kisse her upmost brow;Yet, if her often gnawing kisses winneThe traiterous banke to gape, and let her in,She rusheth violently, and doth divorceHer from her native, and her long-kept course,And rores, and braves it, and in gallant scorne,In flattering eddies promising retorne,She flouts the channell, who thenceforth is drie;Then say I; that is shee, and this am I.Yet let not thy deepe bitternesse begetCarelesse despaire in mee, for that will whetMy minde to scorne; and Oh, love dull'd with paineWas ne'r so wise, nor well arm'd as disdaine.Then with new eyes I shall survay thee,'and spieDeath in thy cheekes, and darknesse in thine eye.Though hope bred faith and love; thus taught, I shallAs nations do from Rome, from thy love fall.My hate shall outgrow thine, and utterlyI will renounce thy dalliance: and when IAm the Recusant, in that resolute state,What hurts it mee to be'excommunicate?
Words in this poem 18
- sterve v. t.
- To die, or cause to die; to perish. See Starve.
- fulfill v. t.
- To fill up; to make full or complete. [OE. fulfillen, fulfullen, AS. fulfyllan; ful full + fyllan to fill. See Full, a., and Fill, v. t.]
- 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,]
- purgatory a.
- Tending to cleanse; cleansing; expiatory. Burke. [L. purgatorius.]
- amorously adv.
- In an amorous manner; fondly.
- twinkling n.
- The act of one who, or of that which, twinkles; a quick movement of the eye; a wink; a twinkle. Holland.
- devill n.
- The Evil One; Satan, represented as the tempter and spiritual of mankind. [AS. deófol, deóful; akin to G. , Goth. diabaúlus; all fr. L. diabolus the devil, Gr. gal to fall. Cf. Diabolic.]
- scarce a.
- Not plentiful or abundant; in small quantity in proportion to the demand; not easily to be procured; rare; uncommon. [OE. scars, OF. escars, eschars, LL. scarpsus, for L. excerptus, p. p. of excerpere to pick out, and hence to contract, to shorten; ex (see Ex-) + carpere. See C]
- wedded a.
- Joined in wedlock; married.
- upmost a.
- Highest; topmost; uppermost. Spenser. [Cf. Uppermost.]
- winne v. t.
- To gain by superiority in competition or contest; to obtain by victory over competitors or rivals; as, to win the prize in a gate; to win money; to win a battle, or to win a country. [OE. winnen, AS. winnan to strive, labor, fight, endure; akin to OFries. winna, OS. winnan, D. winnen to win, gain, G. gewinnen, OHG. winnan to strive, struggle,]
- promising a.
- Making a promise or promises; affording hope or assurance; as, promising person; a promising day.
- channell n.
- The hollow bed where a stream of water runs or may run. [OE. chanel, canel, OF. chanel, F. chenel, fr. L. canalis. See Canal.]
- thenceforth adv.
- From that time; thereafter.
- whet v. t.
- To rub or on with some substance, as a piece of stone, for the purpose of sharpening; to sharpen by attrition; as, to whet a knife. [AS. hwettan; akin to D. wetten, G. wetzen, OHG. wezzen, Icel. hvetja, Sw. vättja, and AS. hwæt vigorous, brave, OS. hwat, OHG. waz, was, sharp, Icel. hvatr, bol]
- outgrow v. t.
- To surpass in growing; to grow more than.
- dalliance n.
- The act of dallying, trifling, or fondling; interchange of caresses; wanton play. [From Dally.]
- recusant a.
- Obstinate in refusal; specifically, in English history, refusing to acknowledge the supremacy of the king in the churc, or to conform to the established rites of the church; as, a recusant lord. [L. recusans, -antis, p.pr. of recure to refuse, to oject to; pref. re- re + causa a cause, pretext: cf. F. récusant. See Cause, and cf. Ruse.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Elegie VI 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, Elegie VI, in Poems (1633), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #48688, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/donne-poems/elegie-vi.html, id L19883.
Form and metre
Elegie VI is 46 lines in a single stanza. It is in rhyming couplets, 78% of the lines: heroic couplets. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 80%). 95% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.2 syllables. 2 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 44% 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 AABBCCDDEEFFEGHHEGIIJJKKLLMMNNOO--PPQQRR---RSS serveA · sterveA · lookesB · bookesB · stillC · fulfillC · swayD · payD · meeE · beeE · sheath'dF · breath'dF · theeE · constancieG · faceH · embraceH · eyeE · flieG · isI · hisI · springJ · murmuringJ · rideK · chideK · boughL · browL · winneM · inM · divorceN · courseN · scorneO · retorneO · drie · i · begetP · whetP · paineQ · disdaineQ · spieR · eyeR · shall · fall · utterly · iR · stateS · be'excommunicateS
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Oh, let mee not serve so, as those men serve | 10 | ·········· |
| Whom honours smoakes at once fatten and sterve; | 10 | ·/˘···/˘·· |
| Poorely enrich't with great mens words or lookes; | 11 | ··········· |
| Nor so write my name in thy loving bookes | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| As those Idolatrous flatterers, which still | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| Their Princes stiles, with many Realmes fulfill | 10 | ·/˘··/˘·˘/ |
| Whence they no tribute have, and where no sway. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Such services I offer as shall pay | 10 | ·/˘˘·/˘··· |
| Themselves, I hate dead names: Oh then let mee | 10 | ˘/········ |
| Favorite in Ordinary, or no favorite bee. | 12 | /˘·/˘·˘··/˘· |
| When my Soule was in her owne body sheath'd, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Nor yet by oathes betroth'd, nor kisses breath'd | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Into my Purgatory, faithlesse thee, | 10 | ···/˘·˘··· |
| Thy heart seem'd waxe, and steele thy constancie: | 10 | ·········· |
| So, carelesse flowers strow'd on the waters face, | 11 | ····/···/˘· |
| The curled whirlepooles suck, smack, and embrace, | 10 | ········˘/ |
| Yet drowne them; so, the tapers beamie eye | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Amorously twinkling, beckens the giddie flie, | 12 | /˘˘˘/˘······ |
| Yet burnes his wings; and such the devill is, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Scarce visiting them, who are intirely his. | 11 | ·/˘········ |
| When I behold a streame, which, from the spring, | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| Doth with doubtfull melodious murmuring, | 11 | ··/˘˘/˘˘/˘˘ |
| Or in a speechlesse slumber, calmely ride | 11 | ·····/˘···· |
| Her wedded channels bosome, and then chide | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| And bend her browes, and swell if any bough | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Do but stoop downe, or kisse her upmost brow; | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Yet, if her often gnawing kisses winne | 10 | ···/˘/˘/˘· |
| The traiterous banke to gape, and let her in, | 11 | ··········· |
| She rusheth violently, and doth divorce | 10 | ·/˘/˘˘··˘/ |
| Her from her native, and her long-kept course, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| And rores, and braves it, and in gallant scorne, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| In flattering eddies promising retorne, | 10 | ·/˘/˘/˘˘·· |
| She flouts the channell, who thenceforth is drie; | 10 | ···/˘··/·· |
| Then say I; that is shee, and this am I. | 10 | ·········· |
| Yet let not thy deepe bitternesse beget | 10 | ········˘/ |
| Carelesse despaire in mee, for that will whet | 11 | ··········· |
| My minde to scorne; and Oh, love dull'd with paine | 10 | ·········· |
| Was ne'r so wise, nor well arm'd as disdaine. | 10 | ·········· |
| Then with new eyes I shall survay thee,'and spie | 11 | ··········· |
| Death in thy cheekes, and darknesse in thine eye. | 10 | ·········· |
| Though hope bred faith and love; thus taught, I shall | 10 | ·········· |
| As nations do from Rome, from thy love fall. | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| My hate shall outgrow thine, and utterly | 10 | ····/··/˘˘ |
| I will renounce thy dalliance: and when I | 10 | ··˘/·/˘··· |
| Am the Recusant, in that resolute state, | 11 | ··˘/˘··/˘·· |
| What hurts it mee to be'excommunicate? | 10 | ·········· |
Notes from the edition 13
Herbert Grierson's record of the readings of the early editions and manuscripts, from his Poems of John Donne (Oxford, 1912; Project Gutenberg #48688).
- Line 2 fatten] flatter 1669, A18, B, Cy, L74, N, TC
- Line 3 or] and A18, Cy, L74, N, P, TC
- Line 7 where] bear 1669
- Line 14 constancie: 1635-69: constancie. 1633
- Line 24 then 1633, B, D, H49, Lec, S, S96, W: there 1635-69, A18, A25, Cy, JC, N, O'F, P, TC, Chambers
- Line 26 upmost 1633 and most MSS: utmost 1635-69, O'F, Chambers brow; Ed: brow: 1633-39: brow. 1650-69
- Line 28 banke A18, D, H49, JC, N, S, TC, W: banks 1633-69, Lec, O'F
- Line 37 Oh,] Ah, 1669
- Line 39 thee,'] om. 1669
- Line 40 eye. Ed: eye; 1633-54: eye: 1669: eye, Chambers
- Line 41 Though ... love; 1633: Though ... breed ... love: 1635-39: Though ... breed ... love 1650-69 (Through ... 1669)
- Line 42 fall. 1633-35: fall 1639-69
- Line 43 outgrow] o'ergrow Cy, P
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.