Analysis of Holy Sonnet V: I Am A Little World Made Cunningly

John Donne 1572 (London) – 1631 (London)



I am a little world made cunningly
Of elements, and an angelic sprite;
But black sin hath betrayed to endless night
My worlds both parts, and (oh!) both parts must die.
You which beyond that heaven which was most high
Have found new spheres, and of new lands can write,
Pour new seas in mine eyes, that so I might
Drown my world with my weeping earnestly,
Or wash it if it must be drowned no more:
But oh it must be burnt! alas the fire
Of lust and envy have burnt it heretofore,
And made it fouler: Let their flames retire,
And burn me, O Lord, with a fiery zeal
Of Thee and Thy house, which doth in eating heal.


Scheme ABBCCBBADEDFAA
Poetic Form
Metre 11010111 110001101 1111011101 1111011111 11011101111 1111011111 1110111111 1111110100 1111111111 11111101010 1101011101 011111101 01111101001 11011110101
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 608
Words 124
Sentences 5
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 34
Words per line (avg) 9
Letters per stanza (avg) 473
Words per stanza (avg) 121
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 21, 2023

37 sec read
161

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

53 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

    "Holy Sonnet V: I Am A Little World Made Cunningly" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 30 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/22514/holy-sonnet-v%3A-i-am-a-little-world-made-cunningly>.

    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.
    1
    day
    2
    hours
    17
    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?

    »
    The Baltimore Ravens’ team name was inspired by which American poet?
    A Walt Whitman
    B Emily Dickinson
    C Langston Hughes
    D Edgar Allan Poe