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Holy Sonnet? by John Donne

Analysis

"Holy Sonnet?" is a poem written by John Donne. In this writing, Donne asks God to repair his body because he is fastly approaching death. He states that he is afraid because of his sin has always tempted him and he will still be tempted even if he is repaired.

This is a fourteen line poem. Like all sonnets, it is written in iambic pentameter. Let's look at the rhyme structure to determine what type of sonnet it is. ABBAABBACDCDEE. Because of this structure, it's easy for us to determine that it is an Italian sonnet.

Poem

Holy Sonnet?
By 

Thou hast made me, and shall thy work decay?
Repair me now, for now mine end doth haste,
I run to death, and death meets me as fast,
And all my pleasures are like yesterday;
I dare not move my dim eyes any way,
Despair behind, and death before doth cast
Such terror, and my feebled flesh doth waste
By sin in it, which it t'wards hell doth weigh.
Only thou art above, and when towards thee
By thy leave I can look, I rise again;
But our old subtle foe so tempteth me,
That not one hour I can myself sustain;
Thy grace may wing me to prevent his art,
And thou like adamant draw mine iron heart.

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