A Hymn To God The Father
By John Donne
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.Wilt thou forgive that sin which I have won
Others to sin, and made my sin their door?
Wilt thou forgive that sin which I did shun
A year or two, but wallow’d in, a score?
When thou hast done, thou hast not done,
For I have more.I have a sin of fear, that when I have spun
My last thread, I shall perish on the shore;
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.
Summary of A Hymn to God The Father
- Popularity of “A Hymn to God The Father”: This beautiful hymn presented to God to seek His forgiveness was penned by John Donne, a phenomenal metaphysical English poet. He composed this poem keeping his sinful life in mind. However, he is also sure that God is All-Merciful and that His mercy is all-encompassing. The poem first appeared following his death in 1633 when a collection of his poems was published under the title of Poems. This poem became highly popular due to its subject matter and parallel sentence usage.
- “A Hymn to God The Father” As a Representative of Prayer for Forgiveness: The poet, who happens to be the speaker of the poem, addresses God saying whether God would forgive him as he has committed sins and that he deplored and feel sorry over his sinning. Yet, he is uncertain whether God will forgive him or not. The same tone, wording, and pleas continue in the second stanza, where he seeks God’s forgiveness for sins and the sins that he has not committed and still thinks that he has committed more than God has forgiven him. This tone of repentance continues until he reaches a point where he feels that he will die with the Son of God at his grave, shining his light on him, due to which he does not feel any fear now.
- Major Themes in “A Hymn to God The Father”: Life of sins, fear of God, and love of the Son of God are major themes of the poem. The religious theme of the hymn continues until the last verse, where the tone of John Donne turns to reassuring, thinking that he has no fear as the Son of God is with him. Therefore, even if his life is full of sins and God may not be merciful to him, yet the encouraging thing is that even fearing is a sin “I have a sin of fear.” Therefore, he recalls the Son of God, saying that he would shine upon the poet and that then fear would evaporate. The religious tone of the poem continues until the poet has the courage to think about his redemption and deliverance from the sinful life due to Jesus Christ.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in A Hymn to God The Father
John Donne uses various literary devices to enhance the intended impact of his poem. Some of the major literary devices in this poem are as follows.
- Allusion: It means to use references from society, history, or culture to stress upon the main idea. The poet has used the allusion to the primeval sin of man.
- Alliteration: It means to use initial consonants in successive words. The poem shows the use of consonant sounds, such as /w/ in “which was” or /d/ in “do deplore” or /sh/ in “shall shine.”
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /i/ in “Wilt thou forgive that sin where I begun” and the sound of /a/ and /o/ in “And do run still, though still I do deplore?.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /t / and /d/ in “When thou hast done, thou hast not done” and the sound of /th/ and /s/ in “But swear by thyself, that at my death thy Son.”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. John Donne used imagery in this poem such as “Wilt thou forgive that sin, through which I run”, “Others to sin, and made my sin their door?” and “I have a sin of fear, that when I have spun.”
- Rhetorical Question: It means to show or use a question not to elicit an answer but to tress upon the main theme. The poem shows the use of rhetorical questions, such as “Which was my sin, though it were done before?” or “Others to sin, and made my sin their door?”
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem shows symbols such as sin, door, wallow, and score to show the life of sin.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in A Hymn to God The Father
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is an analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Diction: It means the type of language. The poem shows good use of formal, poetic, and melodic diction.
- End Rhyme: It means to use verses having matching end words. John Donne shows the use of end rhyme such as begun/run and before/deplore.
- Rhyme Scheme: This poem shows the rhyme scheme of ABABAB in each stanza.
- Poem: This is a fourteen-lined poem. This poem is a poem.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are three stanzas, with each having six verses.
- Tone: It means the voice of the text. The poem shows a theological, fearful, and reassuring tone.
Quotes to be Used
The following lines are useful to quote when talking about the fear of God and Christ.
I have a sin of fear, that when I have spun
My last thread, I shall perish on the shore;
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.