Holy Sonnet 5

Holy Sonnet 5

John Donne

I am a little world made cunningly

Of elements and an angelic sprite,

But black sin hath betray'd to endless night

My world's 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 drown'd 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.

Published in 1633, "Sonnet 5" is one of many poems in Donne's Holy Sonnet collection. What is unique about his style is the use of Petrarchan conceits and conventions that is applied not to the standard of love or a lover, but to a worshipper and their God. This poem uses devotion to bind the petitionary lyrical poem with the act of seeking patronage. In this poem, Donne details the agony of sin and the salvation of God's grace.

Donne uses eloquence and elegant diction in order to evoke pathos in this sonnet. My personal favourite lines are, "I am a little world made cunningly / Of elements and an angelic sprite" (1-2) because Donne interlaces the divine with humanity. He does this throughout the sonnet, delineating the gift of human life given by God and cured by God when tarnished by sin.

The last two lines of this sonnet may instill confusion without the proper biblical knowledge: "And burn me O Lord, with a fiery zeal / Of thee and thy house, which doth in eating heal" (13-14). This is not about a desire for suffering as indicated by the plea for fire, but a desire for salvation. Psalm 69.9 states, "For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up." This is in reference to the three flames portrayed in the Bible: those of the Last Judgment, those of lust and envy, and those of zeal. Only the "fiery zeal" has the capability of saving a sinner.

Line 4 also struck me as beautifully written: "My world's both parts, and oh both parts must die." Here, Donne touches upon his spirituality, revealing his knowledge that he is a soul encased in a body. The speaker believes that his sin has blackened both his body and soul, his "world's both parts," and that the only way to turn to righteousness is to expunge the guilt and mistakes completely.

If you liked this sonnet, check out more of Donne's work! I recommend "Sonnet 14," and "The Flea," both of which can be found with a quick google search :)

Donne, John. "Holy Sonnet 5."