Batter my Heart, Three-Person'D God; for You
The speaker addresses a three-person'd God, asking to be battered rather than gently reformed. He says God has so far only knocked, breathed, shone, and sought to mend him, and he asks instead that God overthrow him, bend, break, blow, and burn him, so that he may rise and stand and be made new. He compares himself to a town usurped and given over to another, laboring to let God in but failing. Reason, described as God's viceroy within him, ought to defend him but has been captured and proves weak or false. He declares that he loves God dearly and wishes to be loved in return, but he is betrothed to God's enemy. He asks God to divorce him, to untie or break that bond again, and to take him, imprison him, since he says he will never be free unless God enthralls him, and never chaste unless God ravishes him.
By John Donne · First published 1633 · Genre: Metaphysical Poetry, Religious Poetry, Sonnet · 197 words
First lines
Batter my heart, three-person'd 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 usurp'd town, to another due, / Labour 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 betroth'd 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.
What this Textopian page supports
Batter my Heart, Three-Person'D God; for You is listed on Textopian as a poem by John Donne, dated 1633 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: 1633 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Metaphysical Poetry, Religious Poetry, Sonnet, Devotional Poetry, Love Poetry
- Length: 197 words
- Structure: 1 section, 1 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Batter my Heart, Three-Person'D God; for You by John Donne
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Similar titles
- Ascension by John Donne
- Air And Angels by John Donne
- A Hymn To God The Father by John Donne
- My Soul Is Sad And Much Dismayd by John Newton
- A Nocturnal Upon St Lucys Day Being The Shortest Day by John Donne
- Annunciation by John Donne
Genres
- Metaphysical Poetry — Donne's hallmark style using paradoxical conceits, intellectual argumentation, and complex extended metaphors (the soul as an 'usurp'd town') to explore spiritual themes with philosophical rigor.
- Religious Poetry — The poem is a direct address to God exploring spiritual struggle, divine will, and the soul's relationship to the divine, with themes of salvation and spiritual transformation.
- Sonnet — The work follows the formal structure of a fourteen-line sonnet with iambic pentameter, presenting a complete thematic and emotional argument within this classical form.
- Devotional Poetry — Written as an intimate prayer or appeal to God, functioning as a personal spiritual meditation on faith, surrender, and the soul's yearning for divine love and transformation.
Tags
metaphysical · religious · devotional · spiritual · baroque · sonnet · paradoxical · conceit · confessional · apostrophe · divine-love · transformation