The Legacie
When I dyed last, and, Deare, I dyeAs often as from thee I goe,Though it be but an houre agoe,And Lovers houres be full eternity,I can remember yet, that ISomething did say, and something did bestow;Though I be dead, which sent mee, I should beMine owne executor and Legacie.
I heard mee say, Tell her anon,That my selfe, (that is you, not I,)Did kill me, and when I felt mee dye,I bid mee send my heart, when I was gone,But I alas could there finde none,When I had ripp'd me,'and search'd where hearts did lye;It kill'd mee againe, that I who still was true,In life, in my last Will should cozen you.
Yet I found something like a heart,But colours it, and corners had,It was not good, it was not bad,It was intire to none, and few had part.As good as could be made by artIt seem'd; and therefore for our losses sad,I meant to send this heart in stead of mine,But oh, no man could hold it, for twas thine.
Words in this poem
- deare
- variant of Dere, v. t. & n.
- anon adv.
- Straightway; at once. [OE. anoon, anon, anan, lit., in one (moment), fr. AS. on in + an one. See On and One.]
- cozen v. t.
- To cheat; to defrand; to beguile; to deceive, usually by small arts, or in a pitiful way. [From cousin, hence, literally, to deceive through pretext of relationship, F. cousiner.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Legacie 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 Legacie, in Poems (1633), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #48688, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/donne-poems/the-legacie.html, id L04886.
Form and metre
The Legacie is 24 lines in 3 stanzas of 8 lines each. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 81%). 95% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 9.2 syllables. 1 line ends on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 17% 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 AB--ABA- dyeA · goeB · agoe · eternity · iA · bestowB · beA · legacie
- 2 -AA--ABB anon · iA · dyeA · gone · none · lyeA · trueB · youB
- 3 ABBAABCC heartA · hadB · badB · partA · artA · sadB · mineC · thineC
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 |
|---|---|---|
| When I dyed last, and, Deare, I dye | 8 | ········ |
| As often as from thee I goe, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Though it be but an houre agoe, | 8 | ········ |
| And Lovers houres be full eternity, | 11 | ·/˘/˘··˘/˘˘ |
| I can remember yet, that I | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| Something did say, and something did bestow; | 10 | /˘···/˘·˘/ |
| Though I be dead, which sent mee, I should be | 10 | ·········· |
| Mine owne executor and Legacie. | 10 | ··˘/˘˘···· |
| I heard mee say, Tell her anon, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| That my selfe, (that is you, not I,) | 8 | ········ |
| Did kill me, and when I felt mee dye, | 9 | ········· |
| I bid mee send my heart, when I was gone, | 10 | ·········· |
| But I alas could there finde none, | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| When I had ripp'd me,'and search'd where hearts did lye; | 11 | ··········· |
| It kill'd mee againe, that I who still was true, | 11 | ··········· |
| In life, in my last Will should cozen you. | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Yet I found something like a heart, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| But colours it, and corners had, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| It was not good, it was not bad, | 8 | ········ |
| It was intire to none, and few had part. | 10 | ·········· |
| As good as could be made by art | 8 | ········ |
| It seem'd; and therefore for our losses sad, | 10 | ······//˘· |
| I meant to send this heart in stead of mine, | 10 | ·········· |
| But oh, no man could hold it, for twas thine. | 10 | ·········· |
Notes from the edition 7
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 When I dyed last,] When last I dyed, 1669
- Stanza 2, line 2 that is 1635-69: that's 1633: brackets from A18, N, TC
- Stanza 2, line 5 none, 1633-69: none. Chambers and Grolier
- Stanza 2, line 6 When ... did 1633, A25 (doe), D, H40, H49, Lec, S, S96: When I had ripp'd, and search'd where hearts should 1635-69, A18, L74, N, TC lye; Ed: lye, 1633-69, Chambers and Grolier. See note
- Stanza 3, line 2 But] For 1650-69
- Stanza 3, line 4 part. 1633-39: part: 1650-69
- Stanza 3, line 7 meant] thought A18, L74, N, O'F, TC
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