John Donne @vipulvkapoor #johndonne #metaphysicalpoetry #englishliterature #hymn #netenglish #historyofenglishliterature #ntaugcnet #ugcnet #ugcnetjrf Dr. Vipul V. Kapoor, Associate Professor (MA, M.Phil, PhD) Email: vipulkapoor38@gmail.com Facebook: Vipul Max

1. A Hymn to God the Father
by John Donne
Dr. Vipul V. Kapoor
(YouTube channel: Study Lovers by Dr. Vipul V. Kapoor)

2. INTRODUCTION
John Donne (1572-1631) the father of Metaphysical poetry in
English literature has written two types of poems in his life
time – Love poems and Devotional Poems.
‘A Hymn to God the Father’ is a religious poem where the
poet prays God to forgive all his sins.
The poem revives the tradition of “confession” of Christian
religion.

3. WHAT IS A HYMN?
Hymn is a type of lyric written in praise of Gods and
Goddesses.
It is a short musical religious poem.

4. FIRST STANZA
Wilt thou forgive that sin where I begun,
Which was my sin, though it were done before?
Will you forgive my first sin committed even before my birth?
Here, there is a reference to the Biblical story of Adam and Eve. God
had denied them to taste the fruit of knowledge. But they disobeyed
the God by tasting the fruit of knowledge.

5. FIRST STANZA
Wilt thou forgive that sin, through which I run,
And do run still, though still I do deplore (dislike)?
When thou hast done, thou hast not done,
For I have more.
Here, the poet prays God to forgive him for all his sin which he is
committing at present.

6. SECOND STANZA
Wilt thou forgive that sin which I have won
Others to sin, and made my sin their door?
The poet asks God to forgive him for the sins which he himself did not
commit but for those sins for which he has inspired others to commit.

7. SECOND STANZA
Wilt thou forgive that sin which I did shun
A year or two, but wallow’d (enjoyed) in, a score?
When thou hast done, thou hast not done,
For I have more.
The poet asks God to forgive those sins which he did in his life time
though for one or two years he has avoided to keep away from such
sinful life.

8. THIRD STANZA
I have a sin of fear, that when I have spun
My last thread, I shall perish on the shore;
Here, the poet asks God to forgive him for the sin of fear. The poet
thinks about his last days and he has fear that because of his sins he
will be hanging somewhere between the heaven and hell.

9. THIRD STANZA
But swear by thyself, that at my death thy Son
Shall shine as he shines now, and heretofore;
And, having done that, thou hast done;
I fear no more.
The poet prays God to keep the blessings of His Son (Jesus) with him.

10. FORM OF THE POEM
The poem is written in three stanzas of six lines each (sestets).
The rhyming patter in all stanzas is AB AB AB.
Wilt thou forgive that sin where I begun,
Which was my sin, though it were done before?
Wilt thou forgive that sin, through which I run,
And do run still, though still I do deplore?
When thou hast done, thou hast not done,
For I have more.

11. METER
The poem is written in Iambic Pentameter lines.
Each line has ten syllables and five Iambs.
The poem has a rising rhythm.

12. POETIC DEVICES
• METAPHOR: Line No. 13 “Last Thread” stands for “death”. Line No.
14 “Shore” stands for “limbo” (between the heaven and hell).
• REFRAIN: Line 5-6 and 11-12: the last two lines of the first stanza
and the second stanza are identical, and this is called refrain.
“When thou hast done, thou hast not done,
For I have more.”
• PUN: Line No. 15 the word “Son” The poet compares God’s Son
(Jesus) with the actual sun.