No, Thank you, John
The speaker rejects John's persistent courtship, insisting that no love or promise of fidelity was ever given. The speaker offers friendship on the condition that John abandons any expectation of romance.
By Christina Georgina Rossetti · Genre: Dramatic Monologue, Poetry · 346 words
First lines
I never said I loved you, John: / Why will you tease me, day by day, / And wax a weariness to think upon / With always "do" and "pray"?
You know I never loved you, John; / No fault of mine made me your toast: / Why will you haunt me with a face as wan / As shows an hour-old ghost?
Genres
- Dramatic Monologue — A single speaker addresses John throughout, answering his persistent appeals and implied accusations without giving him a separate speaking part.
- Poetry — Eight rhymed four-line stanzas carry the speaker's refusal from complaints about John's persistence to a conditional offer of friendship.
Tags
courtship · romantic rejection · unrequited love · friendship · personal boundaries
What this Textopian page supports
No, Thank you, John is listed on Textopian as a poem by Christina Georgina Rossetti, dated Date unknown.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Christina Georgina Rossetti
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Dramatic Monologue, Poetry
- Length: 346 words
- Structure: 1 section, 8 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
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- Work identity for No, Thank you, John by Christina Georgina Rossetti
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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