Sonnet. The Token
Send me some token, that my hope may live,Or that my easelesse thoughts may sleep and rest;Send me some honey to make sweet my hive,That in my passion I may hope the best.I beg noe ribbond wrought with thine owne hands,To knit our loves in the fantastick straineOf new-toucht youth; nor Ring to shew the standsOf our affection, that as that's round and plaine,So should our loves meet in simplicity;No, nor the Coralls which thy wrist infold,Lac'd up together in congruity,To shew our thoughts should rest in the same hold;No, nor thy picture, though most gracious,And most desir'd, because best like the best;Nor witty Lines, which are most copious,Within the Writings which thou hast addrest.
Send me nor this, nor that, t'increase my store,But swear thou thinkst I love thee, and no more.
Words in this poem
- shew n.
- Show. [Obs. except in shewbread.]
- witty a.
- Possessed of wit; knowing; wise; skillful; judicious; clever; cunning. [AS. witig, wittig. See Wit, n.]
- hast
- , 2d pers. sing. pres. of. Fave, contr. of havest.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Sonnet. The Token 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, Sonnet. The Token, in Poems (1633), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #48688, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/donne-poems/sonnet-the-token.html, id L19876.
Form and metre
Sonnet. The Token is 18 lines in 2 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 79%).
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 ABABCDCD-E-E-B-B liveA · restB · hiveA · bestB · handsC · straineD · standsC · plaineD · simplicity · infoldE · congruity · holdE · gracious · bestB · copious · addrestB
- 2 AA storeA · moreA
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Send me some token, that my hope may live, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Or that my easelesse thoughts may sleep and rest; | 11 | ··········· |
| Send me some honey to make sweet my hive, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| That in my passion I may hope the best. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| I beg noe ribbond wrought with thine owne hands, | 10 | ·········· |
| To knit our loves in the fantastick straine | 10 | ··/······· |
| Of new-toucht youth; nor Ring to shew the stands | 10 | ·········· |
| Of our affection, that as that's round and plaine, | 11 | ·/˘/˘······ |
| So should our loves meet in simplicity; | 11 | ··/˘···˘/˘˘ |
| No, nor the Coralls which thy wrist infold, | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| Lac'd up together in congruity, | 10 | ··˘/˘·˘/˘˘ |
| To shew our thoughts should rest in the same hold; | 10 | ··/······· |
| No, nor thy picture, though most gracious, | 9 | ···/˘··/˘ |
| And most desir'd, because best like the best; | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| Nor witty Lines, which are most copious, | 10 | ·/˘····/˘˘ |
| Within the Writings which thou hast addrest. | 11 | ···/˘···/˘˘ |
| Send me nor this, nor that, t'increase my store, | 10 | ·········· |
| But swear thou thinkst I love thee, and no more. | 10 | ·········· |
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 1, line 1 token B, O'F, S96: Tokens 1650-69, P
- Stanza 1, line 4 passion S96: passions 1650-69, B, P
- Stanza 1, line 5 noe B, O'F, P, S96: nor 1650-69
- Stanza 1, line 9 simplicity; Ed: simplicity. 1650-69
- Stanza 1, line 11 in 1650-69: with B, O'F, S96
- Stanza 1, line 12 hold; Ed: hold. 1650-69
- Stanza 1, line 14 desir'd because ... best; B, O'F, S96: desired 'cause 'tis like thee best; 1650-54: desired 'cause 'tis like the best; 1669, Chambers
- Stanza 2, line 1 store, B, O'F, P, S96: score, 1650-69
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