Nativity by John Donne (1633)
John Donne's "Nativity" meditates on the paradox of Immensity cloistered in the womb, now leaving His well-beloved imprisonment, having made Himself weak enough to enter the world. The speaker laments that for thee, for Him, the inn has no room, yet bids Him be laid in the stall, from which stars and wise men will travel from the orient to prevent the effects of Herod's jealous general doom. The speaker turns to his own soul, asking it to see with faith's eye how He who fills all place, yet none holds Him, doth lie. He marvels that His pity toward the soul was wondrous high, that He would have need to be pitied by it. The poem closes with an exhortation to kiss Him, and go with Him into Egypt, together with His kind mother, who partakes the soul's woe.
By John Donne · First published 1633 · Genre: Religious Poetry, Metaphysical Poetry, Devotional Poetry · 185 words
First lines
Immensity, cloister'd in thy dear womb, / Now leaves His well-beloved imprisonment. / There he hath made himself to his intent / Weak enough, now into our world to come. / But O! for thee, for Him, hath th' inn no room? / Yet lay Him in this stall, and from th' orient, / Stars, and wise men will travel to prevent / The effects of Herod's jealous general doom. / See'st thou, my soul, with thy faith's eye, how He / Which fills all place, yet none holds Him, doth lie? / Was not His pity towards thee wondrous high, / That would have need to be pitied by thee? / Kiss Him, and with Him into Egypt go, / With His kind mother, who partakes thy woe.
What this Textopian page supports
Nativity is listed on Textopian as a poem by John Donne, dated 1633 CE.
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- Work type: Poem
- Author: John Donne
- Date: 1633 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Religious Poetry, Metaphysical Poetry, Devotional Poetry, Meditative Poetry, Lyric Poetry
- Length: 185 words
- Structure: 1 section, 1 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Nativity by John Donne
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
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Genres
- Religious Poetry — The poem directly explores the theological mystery of the Nativity—Christ's incarnation, the paradox of divine immensity contained within human form, and themes of salvation and redemption.
- Metaphysical Poetry — Exemplifies Donne's hallmark metaphysical style through complex intellectual conceits (immensity in a womb), paradoxes (He fills all space yet is held nowhere), and wit examining the nature of the divine.
- Devotional Poetry — Addresses the reader's soul directly with invocations to faith and spiritual action, calling the faithful to participate in and respond emotionally to the Nativity mystery.
- Meditative Poetry — Functions as contemplative spiritual meditation, guiding interior reflection through rhetorical questions and appeals to the reader's faith-enabled inner vision.
Tags
religious · metaphysical · devotional · Christian · birth · miracle · sacred · meditative · spiritual · paradox · metaphor · baroque