Holy Sonnet XIV “Batter my heart, three-person'd God”: by John Donne (Poem, Summary, Paraphrase, Analysis & Questions)

 

Holy Sonnet XIV “Batter my heart, three-person'd God”:

by John Donne

(Poem, Summary, Paraphrase, Analysis & Questions) 

Batter my heart, three-person’d God; for you

Batter my heart, three-person’d God; for you

As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;

That I may rise and stand, o’erthrow me, and bend

Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new.

I, like an usurp’d town to another due,

Labour to admit you, but oh, to no end.

Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,

But is captiv’d, and proves weak or untrue.

 

Yet dearly I love you, and would be lov’d fain,

But am betroth’d unto your enemy;

Divorce me, untie or break that knot again,

Take me to you, imprison me, for I,

Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,

Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.

 

Summary

Lines 1–2

"Batter my heart, three-person’d God; for you / As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;"

The speaker addresses the Christian Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) as the “three-person’d God.” He asks God not to approach gently as He has so far (by knocking, breathing, shining light, and trying to repair him), but to forcefully invade his heart and soul.

 

Lines 3–4

"That I may rise and stand, o’erthrow me, and bend / Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new."

He pleads with God to violently remake him, suggesting that only by being broken down completely can he be rebuilt and made spiritually whole again. He paradoxically wants to “rise and stand,” but only if God first overthrows him. He calls for divine force — breaking, blowing, burning — to recreate him anew.

 

Lines 5–6

"I, like an usurp’d town to another due, / Labour to admit you, but oh, to no end."

He compares himself to a town that rightly belongs to God but has been taken over by an enemy (sin or the devil). Though he tries to let God in, his efforts are futile because of his inner corruption and captivity.

 

Lines 7–8

"Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend, / But is captiv’d, and proves weak or untrue."

The faculty of Reason (God’s appointed governor or “viceroy” in the human soul) is supposed to defend him spiritually and morally, but it has been taken captive and cannot help him. It is either too weak or has been unfaithful, failing to lead him to righteousness.

 

Lines 9–10

"Yet dearly I love you, and would be lov’d fain, / But am betroth’d unto your enemy;"

Despite his inner struggle, the speaker loves God deeply and desires to be loved in return. However, he feels as though he is engaged or bound to God’s enemy — likely sin, Satan, or worldly temptation — making this divine love seem impossible without intervention.

 

Lines 11–12

"Divorce me, untie or break that knot again, / Take me to you, imprison me, for I,"

He asks God to sever the bond (or spiritual marriage) between him and sin. He wants God to free him by imprisoning him — that is, to take total control over him in order to save him. The paradox emphasizes his desperate need to belong to God alone.

 

Lines 13–14

"Except you enthrall me, never shall be free, / Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me."

The speaker concludes that he can never truly be free unless God enslaves him (in a holy sense). Nor can he ever be pure or faithful (chaste) unless God ravishes (overwhelms) him completely. He expresses his total dependence on God’s overwhelming power to rescue and purify him.

 

Line-by-line Paraphrase

1. Batter my heart, three-person’d God; for you

→ Strike forcefully at my heart, O God in three persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit);

 

2. As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;

→ So far, You have only knocked gently, breathed life, shone Your light, and tried to repair me;

 

3. That I may rise and stand, o’erthrow me, and bend

→ If I am to rise spiritually and stand strong, You must first overthrow me and bend me to Your will;

 

4. Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new.

→ Use Your power to break me, shatter me, set me on fire spiritually, and recreate me entirely.

 

5. I, like an usurp’d town to another due,

→ I am like a city that rightfully belongs to You, but has been taken over by an enemy;

 

6. Labour to admit you, but oh, to no end.

→ I try hard to let You in, but my efforts fail — I can’t truly let You rule me.

 

7. Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,

→ Reason — Your appointed ruler in me — should be defending and guiding me toward You;

 

8. But is captiv’d, and proves weak or untrue.

→ But it’s been taken captive by sin and either lacks strength or has betrayed me.

 

9. Yet dearly I love you, and would be lov’d fain,

→ Still, I love You deeply and earnestly desire Your love in return;

 

10. But am betroth’d unto your enemy;

→ But I’m spiritually bound — like in marriage — to Your enemy (sin or Satan).

 

11. Divorce me, untie or break that knot again,

→ Break that sinful bond — separate me completely from evil;

 

12. Take me to you, imprison me, for I,

→ Take full possession of me; even if that means imprisoning me in Your will,

 

13. Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,

→ For unless You completely take over my soul, I will never be truly free;

 

14. Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.

→ Nor can I remain spiritually pure unless You overpower and consume me with Your love.

 

Analysis in Detail

John Donne’s Holy Sonnet XIV is a deeply intense and spiritually passionate poem that expresses the speaker’s desperate yearning for divine intervention and transformation. Addressed directly to the Christian Trinity ("three-person'd God"), the sonnet opens with a violent and paradoxical plea: the speaker does not ask for gentle healing but rather for God to “batter” his heart. This shocking verb sets the tone for the rest of the poem, in which Donne likens the process of spiritual renewal not to mending or nurturing but to an aggressive and even painful destruction of the self in order to be remade anew. This radical imagery reveals the speaker’s awareness that mere surface-level repentance or minor reformations are not enough — he needs to be entirely overthrown and recreated by divine power.

Throughout the poem, Donne draws on extended metaphors of warfare, political captivity, and romantic entanglement to dramatize the soul’s struggle between sin and God. The speaker compares himself to a “usurp’d town” — a city that should belong to God but is currently occupied by an enemy. This metaphor evokes a sense of siege and rebellion within the self: the will and reason (which should submit to God) are under the dominion of sin. This reflects the Augustinian Christian idea of the corrupted human nature that cannot fully return to God without divine grace. Even Reason, which should act as God’s viceroy or representative within the soul, is “captiv’d” and ineffective — emphasizing the inadequacy of human faculties in achieving salvation.

The speaker’s tone is marked by desperation and passion. He loves God and desires to be loved in return (“Yet dearly I love you”), but he confesses a painful truth — he is spiritually “betroth’d” to [God’s] enemy.” This metaphor of spiritual marriage highlights the tension between the soul’s loyalty to God and its entanglement with sin. The use of the word “betroth’d” implies a committed bond, almost legal or covenantal, that can only be broken by God’s direct action. Hence, the speaker pleads for a divorce, for God to “untie or break that knot again.” This is not a simple request for forgiveness, but a radical, even violent severing of sinful ties.

The closing lines of the poem are among the most famous and provocative in all of metaphysical poetry. Donne intensifies his imagery by switching from metaphors of war and politics to that of passionate love and even divine ravishment. He states that he can never be free unless God “enthrall[s]” him — that is, takes full control, even enslaves him spiritually. He concludes that he cannot be chaste (spiritually pure) unless God “ravish[es]” him — a word with erotic and violent connotations. These paradoxes — that true freedom comes through divine captivity, and purity through divine ravishment — capture the central metaphysical tension of the poem: the soul's transformation is not gentle or rational, but a violent conquest of love and grace.

Structurally, the poem follows the traditional form of a Petrarchan sonnet (an octave and a sestet), but Donne’s language and imagery are far from conventional. His syntax is irregular and forceful, mimicking the internal struggle and emotional turbulence of the speaker. The rhyme scheme follows ABBA ABBA CDCDCC, and the volta (the turn) comes subtly in line 9 when the speaker shifts from describing his struggle to directly pleading for God’s action. The diction is dominated by strong verbs — batter, break, blow, burn, divorce, imprison, enthrall, ravish — each reinforcing the violence necessary to overcome the soul’s resistance to grace.

In essence, this poem is a cry for radical spiritual transformation — not through logic or willpower, but through an overwhelming encounter with divine force. It reflects Donne’s metaphysical style, blending theology, intense personal emotion, and startling imagery to portray the relationship between the human soul and God. The speaker is not content with passive redemption; he demands to be broken and remade, echoing the deeper Christian belief in the necessity of grace to overcome the sinfulness of the human condition. The poem ends, not with peace, but with a fierce submission — a passionate longing to be conquered by love so that he may finally be free and faithful.

 

Possible Exam Questions

What does the phrase "three-person’d God" refer to in Donne’s sonnet?

 

Identify and explain one paradox used in the poem.

 

What metaphor does Donne use to describe the speaker’s relationship with sin?

 

Why does the speaker refer to Reason as a "viceroy"?

 

Explain the meaning of the final line: “Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.”

 

“Batter my heart, three-person’d God; for you

As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend…”

Comment on the tone and imagery in these opening lines.

How does Donne establish the theme of spiritual violence in the opening of the sonnet?

 

Discuss the central conflict in Holy Sonnet XIV. How does Donne portray the speaker’s inner struggle?

 

How does Donne use imagery of violence and captivity to describe divine love in the poem?

 

How does the sonnet reflect Donne’s metaphysical style?

 

Analyze the theme of spiritual transformation through divine force in Holy Sonnet XIV. How does Donne use literary devices to convey this theme?

 

“Except you enthrall me, never shall be free.” — Discuss how Donne explores the paradox of freedom through submission in this poem.

 

Explore the metaphors of marriage, siege, and imprisonment in Donne’s Holy Sonnet XIV. How do they reflect the speaker’s relationship with God?

 

Compare Holy Sonnet XIV with another of Donne’s Holy Sonnets in terms of tone, theme, and spiritual conflict.

 

In what ways does Donne challenge traditional notions of divine love in Holy Sonnet XIV?