Donne Day in my English Survey
Batter my heart, three-personed God: for you
As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;
That I may rise and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend
Your force to break, blow, burn and make me new.
I, like an usurped town, to another due,
Labor to admit you, but O, to no end;
Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,
But is captived, and proves weak or untrue.
Yet dearly I love you, and would be loved fain,
But am betrothed unto your enemy.
Divorce me, untie or break that knot again:
Take me to you, imprison me, for I,
Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,
Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.
This is the hottest poem in the English language.
I decided that lecturing on it would not work, that this was the one thing too close to my bones.
Instead, today I lectured on how inappropriate the term "metaphysical" in its punning "meta-physicality" is for talking about Donne, lecturing on "The Relic" and "Air and Angels" and never even found the time to finish up with "The Ecstasy" much less the Holy Sonnets, of which the above is one.
You see what a truly exciting life I lead.
As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;
That I may rise and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend
Your force to break, blow, burn and make me new.
I, like an usurped town, to another due,
Labor to admit you, but O, to no end;
Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,
But is captived, and proves weak or untrue.
Yet dearly I love you, and would be loved fain,
But am betrothed unto your enemy.
Divorce me, untie or break that knot again:
Take me to you, imprison me, for I,
Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,
Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.
This is the hottest poem in the English language.
I decided that lecturing on it would not work, that this was the one thing too close to my bones.
Instead, today I lectured on how inappropriate the term "metaphysical" in its punning "meta-physicality" is for talking about Donne, lecturing on "The Relic" and "Air and Angels" and never even found the time to finish up with "The Ecstasy" much less the Holy Sonnets, of which the above is one.
You see what a truly exciting life I lead.