A Hymne To God The

Father
Naysa Renju
 A Hymne To God The Father

Background

 Written by John Donne during his illness in

1623 that eventually caused his death.
 Written from Donne as a confession of sins
to God before he died.
 Written as a religious song to be sung at
church services – “Hymn”
“The words of this Hymn have restored to me
the same thoughts of joy that posset my soul in
my sickness when I composed it”
- John Donne
What is the double meaning found in
the refrain of this poem?
What is the double meaning found in
the refrain of this poem?
What is a refrain?

One or two lines that are repeated either at

the end or beginning of a stanza.
 A Hymne To God The Father

Summary of the three

stanzas
 Summary of the three stanzas

Stanza 1
 The first stanza asks God if he can forgive the sins
that Donne was born with.
 Adam & Eve
1 Wilt thou forgive that sinne where I begunne,
 Lines 1-2 : Asking God if he will forgive the “first 2 Which is my sin, though it were done before?
sin” that is inherited by mankind 3 Wilt thou forgive those sinnes through which I
runne?
4 And doe them still: though still I doe deplore?
 Lines 3-4: Asking God if he will forgive the sins 5 When thou hast done, thou hast not done,
Donne is committing now in spite of how much he 6 For, I have more.
hates them

 Lines 5-6: Donne tells God that when he forgives

those sins, his work is not done for Donne has more
to confess (Refrain)
 Summary of the three stanzas

Stanza 2
 Emphasizes the extent of Donne’s sins

 Lines 7-8: Donne asks God to forgive him for
tempting others to sin
 Lines 9-10: Asks God if he will forgive the sins that
he stopped committing for a year or two, but then
fell back into
 Lines 11-12: same as the refrain in stanza 1
 When God forgives these sins, his work is not done,
for he has more to confess
7 Wilt thou forgive that sinne by which I wonne
8 Others to sinne? and, made my sinne their
doore?
9 Wilt thou forgive that sinne which I did
shunne
10 A yeare, or two: but wallowed in, a score?
11 When thou hast done, thou hast not done,
12 For, I have more.
 Summary of the three stanzas

Stanza 3
 Donne’s resolution due to a difference in pattern

 Lines 13-14: Shows that Donne’s biggest sin is fear.
A fear that when he dies, he won’t make it to heaven
 First two stanzas started with “Wilt thou forgive that
sin” but this stanza begins with “I have a sinne of
feare”
 Suggests acceptance
 Lines 15-16: Donne asks God to promise that when
he dies, Jesus will be merciful and will allow him to
go to heaven
13 I have a sinne of feare, that when I have
spunne
14 My last thread, I shall perish on the shore;
15 Sweare by thy selfe, that at my death thy
Sonne
16 Shall shine as he shines now, and heretofore;
17 And, having done that, Thou hast done,
18 I feare no more.

 Lines 17-18: Different refrain. Shows that when God

forgives Donne, he has nothing to fear, not even sin
 Shows that God is merciful
What is the double meaning found in
the refrain of this poem?

Through John Donne’s use of structure, literary devices

and puns, Donne presents the double meaning of sin/fear
and salvation that is shown in the refrain.
What is the double meaning found in the refrain of this poem?

01
structure
01 What is the double meaning found in the refrain of this poem?

Structure
 Three stanzas with six lines: Sestet

 Rhyme scheme: Consistent ABABAB format 1 Wilt thou forgive that sinne where I begunne, A
 Meter
 First three lines: Iambic pentameter 2 Which is my sin, though it were done before? B
 Second last line: Iambic tetrameter
 Last line: Iambic Dimeter 3 Wilt thou forgive those sinnes through which I
 The difference in meter in the refrain makes it stand out
runne? A
from the rest of the poem. Shows importance of the
refrains 4 And doe them still: though still I doe deplore? B

 Causes tension 5 When thou hast done, thou hast not done A
 Suggests that Donne’s voice is trailing off, and he is 6 For, I have more. B
slowly accepting his sins by the time he reaches the third
paragraph.
 What is the double meaning found in the refrain of this poem?
01
Structure

Anaphora
Donne starts a line with, “Wilt thou forgive that sin…” every time he
introduces a new sin.

Makes the poem sound more like a prayer like “Our Father” or “Hail
Mary”
• Shows that Donne takes his confession and sins seriously
 What is the double meaning found in the refrain of this poem?
01
Structure

Repetition
The first two stanzas are similar in terms of repetition…
• “Wilt thou forgive that sin…”
• “When thou hast done, thou hast not done,/For I have more”

The last stanza shows a break in the pattern as it does not repeat these phrases.
• Abandons pattern to introduce his last, greatest sin: fear and mistrust in God
• Breaking out of this pattern suggests that Donne is breaking into a new perspective:
• He can trust God to offer forgiveness and reassurance.

“I feare no more” (18) He has no more fear after breaking into this new perspective
 What is the double meaning found in the refrain of this poem?

02
Literary Devices
 What is the double meaning found in the refrain of this poem?
02
Literary Devices

Metaphor
“[M]ade my sin their doore” (8)
• Through this metaphore Donne is saying that he made his sin a door to a room
full of more sins.
• His sin is tempting others to sin… He is the door for others to sin.
“I have a sin of fear, that when I have spun/My last thread, I shall perish on the
shore” (13-14)
• ”Thread”- thread of life
• Through this metaphor, he fears that when his last thread has “spun” (died),
he won’t make it to heaven and will perish on the shore instead
• Shows that he sinned so much, that he fears God will not forgive him
 What is the double meaning found in the refrain of this poem?
02
Literary Devices

Apostrophe Allusion
Throughout the poem, Donne “Wilt thou forgive that sinne
is speaking to God. where I begunne” (1)
• Alluding to the sin of Adam
“Thou” and “Thy” and Eve
• “Wilt Thou forgive that • Ties in with the Christian
sinne” (1) belief that everyone is born
• “Sweare by thy selfe…” with sin
(15) • Asks God if he can forgive
that sin
Shows that this poem is a
prayer to God, it’s a
confession.
What is the double meaning found in the refrain of this poem?

03
Puns
03 What is the double meaning found in the refrain of this poem?

The “Son” Puns

Third stanza:
“Sweare by thy selfe, that at my death thy Sonne/Shall shine as he
shines now, and heretofore” (15-16)

Donne asks God if his son, Jesus, can shine on him now, as he did
before and forgive him. “For the wages of sin is death; but
the gift of God is eternal life
In this pun, God’s “Son” is like the sun that offers warmth, and through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
forgiveness when he shines his light. Romans 6:23.

This pun presents Christ as a powerful force that Donne can rely on. The introduction of the poem states
that Donne wrote this poem
After this, he ends with the new refrain, “And having done that, Thou following this bible verse.
hast done,/ I feare no more.” (17-18)

Through Christ, Donne has no more feare because his sins are now
forgiven.
 What is the double meaning found in the refrain of this poem?
03
Puns
”Done” and “More”
The refrains of each stanza all have the words “Done” and “More”
• “When thou hast done, thou hast not done, / For I have more” (5-6) (11-12)
• “And having done that, Thou hast done, I feare no more” (17-18)

“Done”= “Donne”
This pun shows that he was very sorry for the sins he did and fully immersed himself into this poem by including
his name.
• Suggests that Donne is taking accountability for the sins he committed.

Donne secretly eloped with his employer’s niece, Anne More: Was considered sinful which made had
imprisoned.
Using the word ”more” several times in the poem suggests that, even though he didn’t mention it, secretly
eloping is one of his biggest sins that he wants forgiveness for.
What is the double meaning found in
the refrain of this poem?
 What is the double meaning found in the refrain of this poem?

The Refrains
Sin & Fear: First two refrains Salvation
 The first two refrains explain that Donne  The last refrain shows the meaning of
has more sins that he needs to confess 5 When thou hast done, thou hast not salvation.
even after God forgives them. done,
 Shows that with Christ and after
 Suggests that everyone is born with sin, 6 For, I have more.
confessing, Donne finally finds
and no one will ever be rid of it even salvation and therefore gets rid of his
11 When thou hast done, thou hast not
after confessing. fear.
done,
12 For, I have more.
 Donne shows a sense of fear through  He then changes the last refrain after
various techniques to show that he is 17 And, having done that, Thou hast finding his salvation by saying
scared that God will not forgive him. done,
 With the refrains ending with the words 18 I feare no more. “And having done that, Thou hast done, I
“Done” and “More” it shows that even feare no more”
though Donne confessed, he fears that
his sins will not be forgiven
03
Conclusion

Throughout the poem, Donne is confessing his sins, constantly asking God
for forgiveness before he dies. The constant want for confessing is shown
through the first and second refrains
However, by the end of the poem, Donne realizes that his biggest sin is
fearing God and that the only way to find salvation is through Jesus Christ.
After mentioning Christ’s name, Donne finds the salvation he was looking
for and “[fears] no more” (18)
 Bibliography

Donne John. “A Hymne To God The Father.” Divine Poems.

“John Donne | Poetry Foundation.” Poetry Foundation, 2023, www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/john-

donne#:~:text=Donne%20was%20born%20in%20London,the%20martyred%20Sir%20Thomas% 20More.
Accessed 17 Feb. 2023.

LitCharts. “LitCharts a Hymn to God the Father Study Guide.” LitCharts, 2023,
www.litcharts.com/poetry/john-donne/a-hymn-to-god-the-father. Accessed 17 Feb. 2023.
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