The good-night
Now, as in Tullias tombe, one lampe burnt cleare,Unchang'd for fifteene hundred yeare,May these love-lamps we here enshrine,In warmth, light, lasting, equall the divine.Fire ever doth aspire,And makes all like it selfe, turnes all to fire,But ends in ashes, which these cannot doe,For none of these is fuell, but fire too.This is joyes bonfire, then, where loves strong ArtsMake of so noble individuall partsOne fire of foure inflaming eyes, and of two loving hearts.
As I have brought this song, that I may doeA perfect sacrifice, I'll burne it too.
No Sr. This paper I have justly got,For, in burnt incense, the perfume is notHis only that presents it, but of all;What ever celebrates this FestivallIs common, since the joy thereof is so.Nor may your selfe be Priest: But let me goe,Backe to the Court, and I will lay'it uponSuch Altars, as prize your devotion.
Words in this poem
- enshrine v. t.
- To inclose in a shrine or chest; hence, to preserve or cherish as something sacred; as, to enshrine something in memory.
- aspire v. t.
- To aspire to; to long for; to try to reach; to mount to.
- fuell v. t.
- To feed with fuel.
- bonfire n.
- A large fire built in the open air, as an expression of public joy and exultation, or for amusement. [OE. bonefire, banefire, orig. a fire of bones; bone + fire; but cf. also Prov. E. bun a dry stalk.]
- individuall a.
- Not divided, or not to be divided; existing as one entity, or distinct being or object; single; one; as, an individual man, animal, or city. [L. individuus indivisible; pref. in- not + dividuus divisible, fr. dividere to divide: cf. F. individuel. See Divide.]
- festivall a.
- Pertaining to a fest; festive; festal; appropriate to a festival; joyous; mirthful. [OF. festival, fr. L. festivum festive jollity, fr. festivus festive, gay. See Festive.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The good-night 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 good-night, in Poems (1633), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #48688, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/donne-poems/the-good-night.html, id L19894.
Form and metre
The good-night is 21 lines in 3 verse paragraphs. It is in rhyming couplets, 76% of the lines: heroic couplets. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 81%).
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 AABBCC--DDD cleareA · yeareA · enshrineB · divineB · aspireC · fireC · doe · too · artsD · partsD · heartsD
- 3 AABBCCDD gotA · notA · allB · festivallB · soC · goeC · uponD · devotionD
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Now, as in Tullias tombe, one lampe burnt cleare, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Unchang'd for fifteene hundred yeare, | 9 | ˘/···/˘˘· |
| May these love-lamps we here enshrine, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| In warmth, light, lasting, equall the divine. | 10 | ···/˘/˘·˘/ |
| Fire ever doth aspire, | 7 | /˘/˘·˘/ |
| And makes all like it selfe, turnes all to fire, | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| But ends in ashes, which these cannot doe, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| For none of these is fuell, but fire too. | 10 | ·····/˘·/· |
| This is joyes bonfire, then, where loves strong Arts | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Make of so noble individuall parts | 10 | ···/˘·˘/˘· |
| One fire of foure inflaming eyes, and of two loving hearts. | 14 | ·/··˘/˘····/˘· |
| As I have brought this song, that I may doe | 10 | ·········· |
| A perfect sacrifice, I'll burne it too. | 10 | ·/·/˘····· |
| No Sr. This paper I have justly got, | 11 | ·/˘·/˘··/˘· |
| For, in burnt incense, the perfume is not | 10 | ···/··˘/·· |
| His only that presents it, but of all; | 10 | ·/˘·˘/···· |
| What ever celebrates this Festivall | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘˘ |
| Is common, since the joy thereof is so. | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Nor may your selfe be Priest: But let me goe, | 10 | ·········· |
| Backe to the Court, and I will lay'it upon | 10 | ·········· |
| Such Altars, as prize your devotion. | 9 | ·/˘···˘/˘ |
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.