Since she whom I Loved Hath Paid her Last Debt
A grieving speaker declares that since the woman he loved has paid her last debt to nature and to her own people, and has had her soul early ravished into heaven, his good is dead and his mind is now set wholly on heavenly things. He explains that admiring her had whetted his mind to seek God, just as streams reveal their source. Though he has found God and God has fed his thirst, a holy, thirsty dropsy still melts him, leaving him unsatisfied even in satisfaction. He then asks why he should beg for more love, since God woos his soul just as the woman did, offering all of himself. He notes that God not only fears lest he give his love to saints and angels and other divine things instead, but also, in tender jealousy, doubts lest the world, the flesh, and even the Devil push God out of his heart.
By John Donne · First published 1633 · Genre: Metaphysical Poetry, Devotional Poetry, Elegy · 179 words
First lines
Since she whom I loved hath paid her last debt / To nature, and to hers, and my good is dead, / And her soul early into heaven ravished, / Wholly on heavenly things my mind is set. / Here the admiring her my mind did whet / To seek thee God; so streams do show their head, / But though I have found thee, and thou my thirst hast fed, / A holy thirsty dropsy melts me yet. / But why should I beg more love, when as thou / Dost woo my soul for hers; offering all thine: / And dost not only fear least I allow / My Love to saints and angels things divine, / But in thy tender jealousy dost doubt / Least the World, flesh, yea Devil put thee out.
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Since she whom I Loved Hath Paid her Last Debt 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: Metaphysical Poetry, Devotional Poetry, Elegy, Love Poetry, Lyric Poetry
- Length: 179 words
- Structure: 1 section, 1 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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Genres
- Metaphysical Poetry — The poem exemplifies metaphysical poetry through complex theological conceits, intricate argumentation blending intellectual abstraction with emotional intensity, and the characteristic wit in reconciling opposing ideas about love and spirituality.
- Devotional Poetry — The work centers on spiritual conversion and the soul's devotion to God, exploring divine grace, spiritual awakening, and the speaker's transformation from earthly to heavenly focus.
- Elegy — The poem mourns the death of the beloved ('she whom I loved hath paid her last debt') and transforms grief into spiritual understanding and divine love.
- Love Poetry — The poem explores multiple dimensions of love—lost earthly romantic love, divine love, and the conflict between competing devotions—central to its emotional and intellectual force.
Tags
grief · elegy · death · loss · love · metaphysical · mortality · melancholy · baroque · seventeenth-century · introspection · spiritual