Annunciation by John Donne (1608)
John Donne’s “Annunciation” declares that salvation is near to everyone who wills it because the eternal, sinless, and deathless “All” chooses to take on mortal flesh. Addressing a faithful Virgin, the poem marvels that He willingly enters the confinement of her womb, where He cannot receive sin from her yet will emerge clothed in flesh vulnerable to death. The speaker reflects on the paradox that she existed in the mind of the one who is at once her Son and Brother, while she becomes her Maker’s maker and her Father’s mother. Her womb contains light within darkness and encloses limitless immensity within a small, beloved space.
By John Donne · First published 1608 · Genre: Metaphysical Poetry, Devotional Poetry, Religious Poetry · 190 words
First lines
Salvation to all that will is nigh; / That All, which always is all everywhere, / Which cannot sin, and yet all sins must bear, / Which cannot die, yet cannot choose but die, / Lo! faithful Virgin, yields Himself to lie / In prison, in thy womb; and though He there / Can take no sin, nor thou give, yet He'll wear, / Taken from thence, flesh, which death's force may try. / Ere by the spheres time was created thou / Wast in His mind, who is thy Son, and Brother; / Whom thou conceivest, conceived; yea, thou art now / Thy Maker's maker, and thy Father's mother. / Thou hast light in dark, and shutt'st in little room / Immensity, cloister'd in thy dear womb.
What this Textopian page supports
Annunciation is listed on Textopian as a poem by John Donne, dated 1608 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: John Donne
- Date: 1608 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Metaphysical Poetry, Devotional Poetry, Religious Poetry, Christian Poetry, Theological Poetry
- Length: 190 words
- Structure: 1 section, 1 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Annunciation by John Donne
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
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Genres
- Metaphysical Poetry — Donne's defining stylistic characteristic; the poem centers on elaborate intellectual conceits and paradoxes (cannot sin yet bears all sins, cannot die yet chooses death) that define metaphysical verse.
- Devotional Poetry — Directly addresses the Virgin Mary in worship; functions as a prayer or act of veneration, expressing devotion to a religious figure with intimate spiritual fervor.
- Religious Poetry — Explores Christian religious doctrine and theology; the Annunciation and Incarnation are central Christian mysteries, making this fundamentally religious in content and purpose.
- Christian Poetry — Specifically engages Christian theology regarding Christ's incarnation, Mary's role, and paradoxes of divine nature; rooted in Christian liturgical and theological traditions.
Tags
religious · metaphysical · spiritual · Christian · theological · sacred · devotional · divine · angel · biblical · incarnation · salvation