Loves Deitie
I long to talke with some old lovers ghost,Who dyed before the god of Love was borne:I cannot thinke that hee, who then lov'd most,Sunke so low, as to love one which did scorne.But since this god produc'd a destinie,And that vice-nature, custome, lets it be;I must love her, that loves not mee.
Sure, they which made him god, meant not so much,Nor he, in his young godhead practis'd it;But when an even flame two hearts did touch,His office was indulgently to fitActives to passives. CorrespondencieOnly his subject was; It cannot beeLove, till I love her, that loves mee.
But every moderne god will now extendHis vast prerogative, as far as Jove.To rage, to lust, to write to, to commend,All is the purlewe of the God of Love.Oh were wee wak'ned by this TyrannieTo ungod this child againe, it could not beeI should love her, who loves not mee.
Rebell and Atheist too, why murmure I,As though I felt the worst that love could doe?Love might make me leave loving, or might trieA deeper plague, to make her love mee too,Which, since she loves before, I'am loth to see;Falshood is worse then hate; and that must bee,If shee whom I love, should love mee.
Words in this poem
- ghost n.
- The spirit; the soul of man. [OE. gast, gost, soul, spirit, AS. gast breath, spirit, soul; akin to OS. g spirit, soul, D. geest, G. geist, and prob. to E. gaze, ghastly.]
- indulgently adv.
- In an indulgent manner; mildly; favorably.
- jove n.
- The chief divinity of the ancient Romans; Jupiter. [L. Jupiter, gen. Jovis, OL. Jovis, nom. & gen. for Djovis; akin to E. Tuesday. See Tuesday, and cf. Jupiter.]
- lust v. i.
- To list; to like. [AS. lystan. See Lust, n., and cf. List to choose.]
- ungod v. t.
- To deprive of divinity; to undeify. Donne. [1st pref. un- + god.]
- rebell a.
- Pertaining to rebels or rebellion; acting in revolt; rebellious; as, rebel troops. [F. rebelle, fr. L. rebellis. See Rebel, v. t.]
- atheist n.
- One who disbelieves or denies the existence of a God, or supreme intelligent Being. [Gr. athéiste.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Loves Deitie 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, Loves Deitie, in Poems (1633), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #48688, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/donne-poems/loves-deitie.html, id L19866.
Form and metre
Loves Deitie is 28 lines in 4 stanzas of 7 lines each. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 82%). 96% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 9.6 syllables. 2 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 26% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See 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 ABAB-CC ghostA · borneB · mostA · scorneB · destinie · beC · meeC
- 2 ABAB-CC muchA · itB · touchA · fitB · correspondencie · beeC · meeC
- 3 A-A--BB extendA · jove · commendA · love · tyrannie · beeB · meeB
- 4 A-A-BBB iA · doe · trieA · too · seeB · beeB · meeB
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 |
|---|---|---|
| I long to talke with some old lovers ghost, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Who dyed before the god of Love was borne: | 10 | ·········· |
| I cannot thinke that hee, who then lov'd most, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Sunke so low, as to love one which did scorne. | 10 | ·········· |
| But since this god produc'd a destinie, | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| And that vice-nature, custome, lets it be; | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| I must love her, that loves not mee. | 8 | ········ |
| Sure, they which made him god, meant not so much, | 10 | ·········· |
| Nor he, in his young godhead practis'd it; | 10 | ·····/···· |
| But when an even flame two hearts did touch, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| His office was indulgently to fit | 10 | ·/˘·˘/˘˘·· |
| Actives to passives. Correspondencie | 10 | /˘·/˘····· |
| Only his subject was; It cannot bee | 10 | /˘·˘/··˘/· |
| Love, till I love her, that loves mee. | 8 | ········ |
| But every moderne god will now extend | 10 | ·/˘˘/···˘/ |
| His vast prerogative, as far as Jove. | 10 | ··˘/˘˘···· |
| To rage, to lust, to write to, to commend, | 10 | ········˘/ |
| All is the purlewe of the God of Love. | 10 | ·········· |
| Oh were wee wak'ned by this Tyrannie | 10 | ····˘····· |
| To ungod this child againe, it could not bee | 11 | ·˘/········ |
| I should love her, who loves not mee. | 8 | ········ |
| Rebell and Atheist too, why murmure I, | 10 | ˘/·/˘····· |
| As though I felt the worst that love could doe? | 10 | ·········· |
| Love might make me leave loving, or might trie | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| A deeper plague, to make her love mee too, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Which, since she loves before, I'am loth to see; | 10 | ·········· |
| Falshood is worse then hate; and that must bee, | 10 | ·········· |
| If shee whom I love, should love mee. | 8 | ········ |
Notes from the edition 8
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 2, line 1 much, 1639-69: much: 1633: much? 1635
- Stanza 2, line 2 it; Ed: it. 1633-69
- Stanza 2, line 6 subject] Subject 1669
- Stanza 2, line 7 Love, ... mee. 1633, 1669, A25, B, C, Cy, D, H40 (who), H49, JC, L74, N, P, S (lov'd), TCD: Love, if I love, who loves not me. 1635-54, O'F
- Stanza 3, line 5 Oh ... wak'ned] Were we not weak'ned 1669
- Stanza 4, line 2 That I should love, who loves not me. A18, A25, C, Cy, D, H49, JC, L74, Lec, N, P, S, S96, TC: O'F reads as these but alters to as in printed edd.
- Stanza 4, line 3 might make A18, A25, B, Cy, D, H40, H49, JC, L74, N, P, S, S96, TC: may make 1633-69, Lec
- Stanza 4, line 5 Which,] Which 1633
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