John Donne (1572-1631)
A Hymne to Christ, at the Authors last going into Germany
1In what torne ship soever I embarke,
2That ship shall be my embleme of thy Arke;
3What sea soever swallow mee, that flood
4Shall be to mee an embleme of thy blood;
5Though thou with clouds of anger do disguise
6Thy face; yet through that maske I know those eyes,
7 Which, though they turne away sometimes,
8 They never will despise.
9I sacrifice this Iland unto thee,
10And all whom I lov'd there, and who lov'd mee;
11When I have put our seas twixt them and mee,
12Put thou thy seas betwixt my sinnes and thee.
13As the trees sap doth seeke the root below
14In winter, in my winter now I goe,
15 Where none but thee, th'Eternall root
16 Of true Love I may know.
17Nor thou nor thy religion dost controule,
18The amorousnesse of an harmonious Soule,
19But thou would'st have that love thy selfe: As thou
20Art jealous, Lord, so I am jealous now,
21Thou lov'st not, till from loving more, thou free
22My soule: Who ever gives, takes libertie:
23 O, if thou car'st not whom I love
24 Alas, thou lov'st not mee.
25Seale then this bill of my Divorce to All,
26On whom those fainter beames of love did fall;
27Marry those loves, which in youth scattered bee
28On Fame, Wit, Hopes (false mistresses) to thee.
29Churches are best for Prayer, that have least light:
30To see God only, I goe out of sight:
31 And to scape stormy dayes, I chuse
32 An Everlasting night.
Notes
1] Donne travelled to Germany in 1619 and returned to London in 1620.
2] Arke: Noah's ark (see Genesis 6-8)
9] Iland: Britain
Online text copyright © 2009, Ian Lancashire (the Department of English) and the University of Toronto.
Published by the Web Development Group, Information Technology Services, University of Toronto Libraries.
Original text: John Donne, Poems (London, 1633), 304-05. The Scolar Press, Menston, 1969. PR 2245 A2 1633a
First publication date:
1633
RPO poem editor: Marc R. Plamondon
RP edition: 2006
Recent editing: 2:2006/1/26
Rhyme: aabbccdc
Other poems by John Donne
