Holy Sonnet I ('Thou hast mad me, and shall thy work decay?')

Context

• Holy Sonnet I is part of John Donne's series of Holy Sonnets, written between 1609 and 1610 and published posthumously in 1633. These sonnets reflect Donne's deep religious concerns and his struggles with sin, death, and divine judgment, influenced by his complex relationship with both Catholicism and Anglicanism during a time of religious turmoil in England.

  

• The poem is a direct, urgent appeal to God, reflecting Donne's existential anxiety about his mortality and spiritual decay. The speaker, facing the inevitability of death, seeks divine intervention to prevent the decay of his soul and to secure his salvation.

Structure and Form

Form, Meter, and Rhyme

• The poem is a sonnet, consisting of 14 lines written primarily in iambic pentameter, following a hybrid structure that blends the forms of the Italian and English sonnet.
• The rhyme scheme is ABBA ABBA CDCD EE, which combines the Italian sonnet's octave structure with the English sonnet's concluding couplet.
• The sonnet's meter varies slightly for emphasis, with moments of trochaic substitution that draw attention to keywords and concepts, such as the opening line, "Thou hast made me," where the stress on "Thou" and "made" underscores God's role as creator.

Speaker and Setting

• The speaker, who may be Donne himself, addresses God directly in a tone of desperation and urgency. The speaker is acutely aware of his impending death and the decay of both body and soul, seeking reassurance from God.
• The setting is an abstract, spiritual space where the speaker contemplates the approach of death and the fate of his soul. The poem conveys a sense of being caught between the physical decay of the body and the spiritual need for divine grace.

Poetic Devices

Apostrophe:

• The poem begins with the speaker directly addressing God, which creates an immediate and personal tone of urgency.
• The opening line, "Thou hast made me, and shall thy work decay?" is a rhetorical question that underscores the speaker's dependence on God.

Metaphor:

• The poem uses metaphor to describe the speaker's relationship with God, comparing the speaker to a piece of God's workmanship, suggesting that just as a builder maintains a structure, God should preserve the speaker's soul.
• The line, "Repair me now, for now mine end doth haste," conveys the urgency of the speaker's plea for spiritual restoration.

Simile:

• In the final line, Donne uses a simile to compare God's grace to adamant, a legendary stone, which draws the speaker's "iron heart" towards heaven.
• The speaker concludes with, "And thou like adamant draw mine iron heart," symbolizing the irresistible pull of divine grace.

Alliteration:

• Donne employs alliteration to enhance the poem's rhythmic and emotional intensity, as seen in lines like "Despair behind, and death before doth cast." The repetition of the "d" sound emphasizes the speaker's entrapment between past sins and impending death.

Key Themes

Humanity's Reliance on God's Grace

• The poem emphasizes that human beings are inherently weak and sinful, relying entirely on God's grace for salvation.
• The speaker pleads, "Thy grace may wing me to prevent his art," acknowledging that without divine help, he cannot resist the devil's temptations.

The Mortal Body vs. The Immortal Soul

• Donne contrasts the inevitable decay of the physical body with the potential for the soul's salvation, suggesting that while the body must die, the soul can be saved through God's intervention.
• The speaker fears, "My feebled flesh doth waste / By sin in it, which it towards hell doth weigh," highlighting the destructive power of sin on both body and soul.

The Desperation of Human Mortality

• The sonnet reflects the speaker's deep anxiety about death and the possible damnation of his soul, with death personified as an inevitable force that he cannot escape.
  • The speaker states, "I run to death, and death meets me as fast," conveying the inescapable nature of mortality and his urgent need for God's mercy.

Similar Poems

• "Holy Sonnet XIV: Batter my heart": Like Holy Sonnet I, this poem is an intense plea to God for spiritual renewal and salvation, using violent imagery to express the speaker's desperation.
• "A Hymn to God, My God, in My Sickness": In this poem, Donne also grapples with the approach of death and the hope for divine grace, reflecting the same concerns about the soul's salvation as in Holy Sonnet I.
• "The Relic": This poem explores the themes of mortality and the soul's fate, similar to the spiritual concerns in Holy Sonnet I.

Line by Line Analysis

Lines 1-5

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,

"Thou hast made me, and shall thy work decay?"

• The speaker begins by addressing God directly, questioning whether God will allow His creation to "decay," emphasizing the speaker's dependency on divine grace.
• The rhetorical question implies that the speaker believes God has a responsibility to preserve what He has created, likening their relationship to that of a builder and their work.

"Repair me now, for now mine end doth haste,"

• The speaker urgently asks God to "repair" them, recognizing the rapid approach of death ("mine end doth haste").
• The repetition of "now" adds urgency, emphasizing the speaker's desperation for immediate divine intervention.

"I run to death, and death meets me as fast,"

• The speaker acknowledges the inevitability of death, describing it as a force they are running toward, with death also moving swiftly to meet them.
• This line personifies death, suggesting a mutual and unstoppable approach, and highlighting the speaker's awareness of mortality.

"And all my pleasures are like yesterday;"

• The speaker reflects on the fleeting nature of earthly pleasures, which now seem distant and insignificant ("like yesterday").
• This line underscores the speaker's regret and the transitory nature of worldly joys compared to the looming presence of death.

"I dare not move my dim eyes any way,"

• The speaker feels paralyzed, unable to look in any direction due to the overwhelming fear and despair that surrounds them.
• The "dim eyes" suggest physical and spiritual weakness, emphasizing the speaker's sense of helplessness as death approaches.

Lines 6-10

Despair behind, and death before doth cast

Such terror, and my feebled flesh doth waste

By sin in it, which it towards hell doth weigh.

Only thou art above, and when towards thee

By thy leave I can look, I rise again;

"Despair behind, and death before doth cast / Such terror, and my feebled flesh doth waste"

• The speaker is caught between "despair" from their past and the terror of impending death, which causes their body ("feebled flesh") to deteriorate.
• The physical decay mirrors the spiritual decay caused by sin, reinforcing the speaker's dire need for divine assistance.

"By sin in it, which it towards hell doth weigh."

• The speaker acknowledges that their sin is the source of their physical and spiritual decay, dragging them "towards hell."
• This line emphasizes the weight of sin, which not only weakens the body but also threatens the soul's salvation.

"Only thou art above, and when towards thee / By thy leave I can look, I rise again;"

• The speaker contrasts God's position "above" with their lowly state, acknowledging that only by God's permission ("thy leave") can they look up and "rise again."
• This suggests that the speaker's salvation depends entirely on God's grace and mercy.

Lines 11-14

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.

"But our old subtle foe so tempteth me, / That not one hour I can myself sustain;"

• The speaker refers to the devil as the "old subtle foe", acknowledging the constant and crafty temptations they face.
• They admit their inability to resist these temptations on their own, highlighting the human weakness in the face of sin.

"Thy grace may wing me to prevent his art,"

• The speaker believes that only God's grace can provide the strength ("wing me") needed to escape the devil's temptations.
• This line emphasizes the importance of divine intervention in overcoming sin.

"And thou like adamant draw mine iron heart."

• The speaker compares God to "adamant," a legendary mineral known for its strength and magnetic properties, suggesting that God's grace can irresistibly attract and transform their "iron heart."
• This simile underscores the idea that only God's power can overcome the hardness of the human heart and lead it towards salvation.