Analysis of The Prohibition

John Donne 1572 (London) – 1631 (London)



Take heed of loving me,
At least remember, I forbade it thee;
Not that I shall repair my unthrifty waste
Of breath and blood, upon thy sighs, and tears,
By being to thee then what to me thou wast;
But, so great joy, our life at once outwears,
Then, lest thy love, by my death, frustrate be,
If thou love me, take heed of loving me.

Take heed of hating me,
Or too much triumph in the victory.
Not that I shall be mine own officer,
And hate with hate again retaliate;
But thou wilt lose the style of conqueror,
If I, thy conquest, perish by thy hate.
Then, lest my being nothing lessen thee,
If thou hate me, take heed of hating me.

Yet, love and hate me too,
So, these extremes shall neither`s office do;
Love me, that I may die the gentler way;
Hate me, because thy love`s too great for me;
Or let these two, themselves, not me decay;
So shall I live thy stage, not triumph be;
Lest thou thy love and hate and me undo,
To let me live, Oh love and hate me too.


Scheme AABCBCAA AADEDEAA FFGAGAFF
Poetic Form
Metre 111101 1101010111 111101111 1101011101 11011111111 1111101111 111111111 1111111101 111101 1111000100 1111111100 011101010 1111011100 1111010111 1111010101 1111111101 110111 110111101 1111110101 1101111111 1111011101 1111111101 1111010101 1111110111
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 946
Words 193
Sentences 6
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 8, 8, 8
Lines Amount 24
Letters per line (avg) 30
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 242
Words per stanza (avg) 64
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 02, 2023

57 sec read
206

John Donne

John Donne was an English poet, satirist, lawyer and a cleric in the Church of England. more…

All John Donne poems | John Donne Books

52 fans

Discuss this John Donne poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "The Prohibition" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/22605/the-prohibition>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    May 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    0
    hours
    54
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Sonnets were first introduced to England by?
    A William Wordsworth
    B Petrarch
    C William Shakespeare
    D Sir Thomas Wyatt