The Canonization
For Godsake hold your tongue, and let me love,Or chide my palsie, or my gout,My five gray haires, or ruin'd fortune flout,With wealth your state, your minde with Arts improve,Take you a course, get you a place,Observe his honour, or his grace,Or the Kings reall, or his stamped faceContemplate, what you will, approve,So you will let me love.
Alas, alas, who's injur'd by my love?What merchants ships have my sighs drown'd?Who saies my teares have overflow'd his ground?When did my colds a forward spring remove?When did the heats which my veines fillAdde one more to the plaguie Bill?Soldiers finde warres, and Lawyers finde out stillLitigious men, which quarrels move,Though she and I do love.
Call us what you will, wee are made such by love;Call her one, mee another flye,We'are Tapers too, and at our owne cost die,And wee in us finde the'Eagle and the Dove.The Phœnix ridle hath more witBy us, we two being one, are it.So to one neutrall thing both sexes fit,Wee dye and rise the same, and proveMysterious by this love.
Wee can dye by it, if not live by love,And if unfit for tombes and hearseOur legend bee, it will be fit for verse;And if no peece of Chronicle wee prove,We'll build in sonnets pretty roomes;As well a well wrought urne becomesThe greatest ashes, as halfe-acre tombes,And by these hymnes, all shall approveUs Canoniz'd for Love:
And thus invoke us; You whom reverend loveMade one anothers hermitage;You, to whom love was peace, that now is rage;Who did the whole worlds soule contract, and droveInto the glasses of your eyes(So made such mirrors, and such spies,That they did all to you epitomize,)Countries, Townes, Courts: Beg from aboveA patterne of your love!
Words in this poem
- wealth n.
- Weal; welfare; prosperity; good. [OE. welthe, from wele; cf. D. weelde luxury. See Weal prosperity.]
- honour n.
- Esteem due or paid to worth; high estimation; respect; consideration; reverence; veneration; manifestation of respect or reverence. [OE. honor, honour, onour, onur, OF. honor, onor, honur, onur, honour, onour, F. honneur, fr. L. honor, honos.]
- reall a.
- Royal; regal; kingly.
- contemplate v. t.
- To look at on all sides or in all its bearings; to view or consider with continued attention; to regard with deliberate care; to meditate on; to study. [L. contemplatus, p.p. of contemplari to contemplate; con- + templum a space for observation marked out by the augur. See Temple.]
- litigious a.
- Inclined to judicial contest; given to the practice of contending in law; guarrelsome; contentious; fond of litigation. [L. litigiosus, fr. litigium dispute, quarrel, fr. litigare: cf. F. litigieux. See Litigation.]
- neutrall a.
- Not engaged on either side; not taking part with or assisting either of two or more contending parties; neuter; indifferent. [L. neutralis, fr. neuter. See Neuter.]
- acre n.
- Any field of arable or pasture land. [OE. aker, AS. æcer; akin to OS. accar, OHG. achar, Ger. acker, Icel. akr, Sw. åker, Dan. ager, Goth. akrs, L. ager, Gr. ajra. *2, 206.]
- 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,]
- reverend a.
- Worthy of reverence; entitled to respect mingled with fear and affection; venerable. [F. révérend, L. reverendus, fr. revereri. See Revere.]
- hermitage n.
- The habitation of a hermit; a secluded residence. [OE. hermitage, ermitage, F. hermitage, ermitage. See Hermit.]
- drove n.
- A collection of cattle driven, or cattle collected for driving; a number of animals, as oxen, sheep, or swine, driven in a body. [AS. draf, fr. drifan to drive. See Drive.]
- epitomize v. t.
- To make an epitome of; to shorten or abridge, as a writing or discourse; to reduce within a smaller space; as, to epitomize the works of Justin.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Canonization 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, The Canonization, in Poems (1633), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #48688, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/donne-poems/the-canonization.html, id L19842.
Form and metre
The Canonization is 45 lines in 5 stanzas of 9 lines each. The commonest rhyme scheme is ABBCDDDCA, in 2 of the 5 stanzas; the rest vary or could not be confirmed. This poem did not settle on a metre of its own; the book it comes from is in iambic tetrameter. 96% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.8 syllables. 5 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 19% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic tetrameter.
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 ABBCDDDCA loveA · goutB · floutB · improveC · placeD · graceD · faceD · approveC · loveA
- 2 ABBCDDDCA loveA · drown'dB · groundB · removeC · fillD · billD · stillD · moveC · loveA
- 3 ABBACCCAA loveA · flyeB · dieB · doveA · witC · itC · fitC · proveA · loveA
- 4 ABBCD-DCA loveA · hearseB · verseB · proveC · roomesD · becomes · tombesD · approveC · loveA
- 5 ABB-CCCAA loveA · hermitageB · rageB · drove · eyesC · spiesC · epitomizeC · aboveA · loveA
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 tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| For Godsake hold your tongue, and let me love, | 10 | ·········· |
| Or chide my palsie, or my gout, | 8 | ········ |
| My five gray haires, or ruin'd fortune flout, | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| With wealth your state, your minde with Arts improve, | 10 | ········˘/ |
| Take you a course, get you a place, | 8 | ········ |
| Observe his honour, or his grace, | 8 | ˘/·/˘··· |
| Or the Kings reall, or his stamped face | 8 | ········ |
| Contemplate, what you will, approve, | 8 | /˘····˘/ |
| So you will let me love. | 6 | ······ |
| Alas, alas, who's injur'd by my love? | 10 | ˘/˘/·/˘··· |
| What merchants ships have my sighs drown'd? | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Who saies my teares have overflow'd his ground? | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| When did my colds a forward spring remove? | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| When did the heats which my veines fill | 8 | ········ |
| Adde one more to the plaguie Bill? | 8 | ········ |
| Soldiers finde warres, and Lawyers finde out still | 10 | /˘···/˘··· |
| Litigious men, which quarrels move, | 8 | ˘/˘··/˘· |
| Though she and I do love. | 6 | ······ |
| Call us what you will, wee are made such by love; | 11 | ··········· |
| Call her one, mee another flye, | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| We'are Tapers too, and at our owne cost die, | 10 | ·/˘···/··· |
| And wee in us finde the'Eagle and the Dove. | 10 | ·········· |
| The Phœnix ridle hath more wit | 8 | ········ |
| By us, we two being one, are it. | 9 | ····/˘··· |
| So to one neutrall thing both sexes fit, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Wee dye and rise the same, and prove | 8 | ········ |
| Mysterious by this love. | 7 | ˘/˘˘··· |
| Wee can dye by it, if not live by love, | 10 | ·········· |
| And if unfit for tombes and hearse | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| Our legend bee, it will be fit for verse; | 10 | //˘······· |
| And if no peece of Chronicle wee prove, | 10 | ·····/˘˘·· |
| We'll build in sonnets pretty roomes; | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| As well a well wrought urne becomes | 8 | ······˘/ |
| The greatest ashes, as halfe-acre tombes, | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| And by these hymnes, all shall approve | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Us Canoniz'd for Love: | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| And thus invoke us; You whom reverend love | 10 | ··˘/···/˘· |
| Made one anothers hermitage; | 8 | ··˘/˘/˘˘ |
| You, to whom love was peace, that now is rage; | 10 | ·········· |
| Who did the whole worlds soule contract, and drove | 10 | ······/··· |
| Into the glasses of your eyes | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| (So made such mirrors, and such spies, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| That they did all to you epitomize,) | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| Countries, Townes, Courts: Beg from above | 8 | /˘······ |
| A patterne of your love! | 6 | ······ |
Notes from the edition 17
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 4 improve, 1650-69: improve 1633-39
- Stanza 1, line 7 reall] Roiall Lec
- Stanza 2, line 5 veines] reynes 1669
- Stanza 2, line 6 more, 1633-54, Lec: man 1669, A18, B, Cy, D, H40, H49, JC, N, O'F, P, S, S96, TC
- Stanza 2, line 8 which] whom 1669
- Stanza 2, line 9 Though] While 1669
- Stanza 3, line 4 Dove. Ed: dove, 1633-69
- Stanza 3, line 6 are it. 1633-69: are it; Chambers and Grolier
- Stanza 4, line 2 tombes and 1633-54: tomb or 1669
- Stanza 4, line 3 legend] legends 1633
- Stanza 4, line 8 these 1633: those 1635-69
- Stanza 4, line 9 Love:] Love. 1633
- Stanza 5, line 3 rage; Ed: rage, 1633-69
- Stanza 5, line 4 contract] extract A18, B, Cy, D, H40, H49, Lec, N, O'F, S, S96, TCC
- Stanza 5, line 5 eyes 1633-69: eyes; Chambers
- Stanza 5, line 6 brackets, Ed
- Stanza 5, line 8 Courts: Beg] Courts Beg 1669: courts beg Chambers. See note
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