Laurel · John Donne · Poems

To Christ

John Donne (1572–1631) · 1633

iambic pentameter · ABABAB · 18 lines · from Poems

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Wilt thou forgive that sinn, where I begunn,Wch is my sinn, though it were done before?Wilt thou forgive those sinns through wch I runnAnd doe them still, though still I doe deplore?When thou hast done, thou hast not done,for I have more.

Wilt thou forgive that sinn, by wch I'have wonneOthers to sinn, & made my sinn their dore?Wilt thou forgive that sinn wch I did shunneA yeare or twoe, but wallowed in a score?When thou hast done, thou hast not done,for I have more.

I have a sinn of feare yt when I have spunnMy last thred, I shall perish on the shore;Sweare by thy self that at my Death, thy SunnShall shine as it shines nowe, & heretofore;And having done that, thou hast done,I have noe more.

Words in this poem

sinn adv.
Old form of Since. [Obs. or Prov.Eng. & Scot.]
deplore v. t.
To feel or to express deep and poignant grief for; to bewail; to lament; to mourn; to sorrow over. [L. deplorare; de- + plorare to cry out, wail, lament; prob. akin to pluere to rain, and to E. flow: cf. F. déplorer. Cf. Flow.]
hast
, 2d pers. sing. pres. of. Fave, contr. of havest.
wonne v. i.
To dwell or abide. [See 1st Wone.]
dore v. t.
One who does; one performs or executes; one who is wont and ready to act; an actor; an agent. [From Do, v. t. & i.]
shunne v. t.
To avoid; to keep clear of; to get out of the way of; to escape from; to eschew; as, to shun rocks, shoals, vice. [OE. shunien, schunien, schonien, AS. scunian, sceonian; cf. D. schuinen to slepe, schuin oblique, sloping, Icel. skunda, skynda, to hasten. Cf. Schooner, Scound]
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,]
sunn n.
An East Indian leguminous plant (Crotalaria juncea) and its fiber, which is also called sunn hemp. [Hind. san, fr. Skr. çana.]

Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.

About this text

To Christ 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, To Christ, in Poems (1633), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #48688, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/donne-poems/to-christ.html, id L19939.

Form and metre

To Christ is 18 lines in 3 stanzas of 6 lines each. Every stanza rhymes ABABAB. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 88%). 94% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 9.5 syllables. 12 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 37% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.

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. 1 ABABAB begunnA · beforeB · runnA · deploreB · doneA · moreB
  2. 2 ABABAB wonneA · doreB · shunneA · scoreB · doneA · moreB
  3. 3 ABABAB spunnA · shoreB · sunnA · heretoforeB · doneA · moreB
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.

LineSyl.Stress
Wilt thou forgive that sinn, where I begunn,10··˘/····˘/
Wch is my sinn, though it were done before?10··········
Wilt thou forgive those sinns through wch I runn10··˘/······
And doe them still, though still I doe deplore?10········˘/
When thou hast done, thou hast not done,8········
for I have more.4····
Wilt thou forgive that sinn, by wch I'have wonne11··˘/·······
Others to sinn, & made my sinn their dore?9/˘·······
Wilt thou forgive that sinn wch I did shunne10··˘/······
A yeare or twoe, but wallowed in a score?10·····/˘···
When thou hast done, thou hast not done,8········
for I have more.4····
I have a sinn of feare yt when I have spunn11···········
My last thred, I shall perish on the shore;10·····/˘···
Sweare by thy self that at my Death, thy Sunn10··········
Shall shine as it shines nowe, & heretofore;9·······˘/
And having done that, thou hast done,8·/˘·····
I have noe more.4····
Notes from the edition 48

Herbert Grierson's record of the readings of the early editions and manuscripts, from his Poems of John Donne (Oxford, 1912; Project Gutenberg #48688).

  1. Stanza 1, line 1 begunn, Ed: begunn TCD
  2. Stanza 1, line 1 aedes;] aedes, 1635-69
  3. Stanza 1, line 1 if it tell] it will tell Chambers
  4. Stanza 1, line 2 were A18, N, TC: was O'F, S before? Ed: before TCD
  5. Stanza 1, line 2 manu, sunt] manu sunt, 1635-69
  6. Stanza 1, line 2 vs; Ed: vs Bur
  7. Stanza 1, line 2 a mayd] Norton supplies a mayd, Ed: mayd O'F
  8. Stanza 1, line 2 it A2I, H60, TCD: them A11: things L77
  9. Stanza 1, line 2 ye glorious] ye christal A18, E26, H60: the christall WI
  10. Stanza 1, line 4 them A18, N, TC: runne O'F, S96
  11. Stanza 1, line 4 abit;] abit, 1635-69
  12. Stanza 1, line 4 my MSS.: thy 1669
  13. Stanza 1, line 4 them.] them, 1635-69 that B, H40, L74, S: the 1635-69
  14. Stanza 1, line 5 done, Ed: done TCD: and so 11 and 17
  15. Stanza 1, line 5 fronti] fronte 1650-69
  16. Stanza 1, line 5 at] in Walton
  17. Stanza 1, line 5 do A10, L74: doth Grosart and Chambers
  18. Stanza 1, line 5 As] And Chambers
  19. Stanza 1, line 6 For hearts where love's refined WR
  20. Stanza 2, line 1 as Goodnes] 'tis goodnes Chambers
  21. Stanza 2, line 1 I can not holde] I not hold can Chambers
  22. Stanza 2, line 2 He soon hath found PR
  23. Stanza 2, line 3 a strangers] anothers P
  24. Stanza 2, line 3 in, Ed: in O'F
  25. Stanza 2, line 3 a loane Ed: a lone Walton: but loane MSS.
  26. Stanza 2, line 4 It returnes] Again't returnes A10
  27. Stanza 2, line 4 but in his handes, A10, B, L74, O'F, P: but's in's bands S: cut in bands Grosart and Chambers: writt in his hands H-K (teste Grosart)
  28. Stanza 2, line 5 To] That WR
  29. Stanza 2, line 6 For their ... on us they laye. Cy, H39, H40, L74, P: For ransome, which taxe they on us doe lay. 1635-69: For Ransome, but a taxe on us they lay: A10
  30. Stanza 3, line 1 when] while L77
  31. Stanza 3, line 2 shore; Ed: shore TCD
  32. Stanza 3, line 2 I would 1635-69: it will A10, L74, S
  33. Stanza 3, line 2 The damasque coullor of] That cherry colour of H39, TCD: Or that the cherries of Some MSS.
  34. Stanza 3, line 3 thy Sunne O'F, S: this Sunn A18, N, TC
  35. Stanza 3, line 3 to murder sure,] to murder, sure Walton
  36. Stanza 3, line 3 Death] death 1635-69
  37. Stanza 3, line 4 heretofore; Ed: heretofore TCD
  38. Stanza 3, line 4 He is my death; Walton
  39. Stanza 3, line 4 or have] or else A10
  40. Stanza 3, line 4 by ... notion:] in ... notions: PR: in ... notion HN
  41. Stanza 3, line 5 facta,] fixa, 1650-69
  42. Stanza 3, line 5 and 1635-69: but B
  43. Stanza 3, line 5 That fatall night we last kiss'd 1635-69: That last fatall night wee kiss'd A10, H39, H40, L74, P, RP31
  44. Stanza 3, line 5 that may A10, HN, L74: that doth 1635-69: let that B
  45. Stanza 3, line 5 and to play RP31, S: and play Grosart and Chambers
  46. Stanza 3, line 6 I sport] I sports 1635-54
  47. Stanza 3, line 6 as Counsell;] is Counsell: 1635-54
  48. Stanza 3, line 6 More then wee that; Ed: More then wee that H40, L74: More then wee them; that, 1635-69 (them in ital. 1635-54)

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