The end of the Progresse of the Soule
Till now unlawfull, therefore ill; 'twas notSo jolly, that it can move this soule; IsThe body so free of his kindnesses,
Till now, unlawfull, therefore ill 'twas notSo jolly, that it can more this soule. IsThe body, so free of his kindnesses,
Till now, unlawful, therefore ill 'twas not.So jolly, that it can move this soul, isThe body, so free of his kindnesses,
Words in this poem
- unlawfull a.
- Not lawful; contrary to law.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The end of the Progresse of the Soule 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 end of the Progresse of the Soule, in Poems (1633), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #48688, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/donne-poems/the-end-of-the-progresse-of-the-soule.html, id L19927.
Form and metre
The end of the Progresse of the Soule is 9 lines in 3 stanzas of 3 lines each. It is in rhyming couplets, 67% of the lines: heroic couplets. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 76%).
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 -AA not · isA · kindnessesA
- 2 -AA not · isA · kindnessesA
- 3 -AA not · isA · kindnessesA
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Till now unlawfull, therefore ill; 'twas not | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| So jolly, that it can move this soule; Is | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| The body so free of his kindnesses, | 10 | ·/˘····/˘˘ |
| Till now, unlawfull, therefore ill 'twas not | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| So jolly, that it can more this soule. Is | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| The body, so free of his kindnesses, | 10 | ·/˘····/˘˘ |
| Till now, unlawful, therefore ill 'twas not. | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| So jolly, that it can move this soul, is | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| The body, so free of his kindnesses, | 10 | ·/˘····/˘˘ |
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.