Lyric Poem · Death & Loss

A Hymn To God The Father

by John Donne

Reading room

1Wilt thou forgive that sin where I begun,

2Which is my sin, though it were done before?

3Wilt thou forgive that sin through which I run,

4And do run still, though still I do deplore?

5When thou hast done, thou hast not done,

6For I have more.

7Wilt thou forgive that sin by which I have won

8Others to sin? and made my sin their door?

9Wilt thou forgive that sin which I did shun

10A year or two, but wallowed in a score?

11When thou hast done, thou hast not done,

12For I have more.

13I have a sin of fear, that when I have spun

14My last thread, I shall perish on the shore;

15Swear by thyself, that at my death thy Son

16Shall shine as he shines now and heretofore;

17And, having done that, thou hast done,

18I fear no more.

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“A Hymn To God The Father” by John Donne — quilloak.com/poems/a-hymn-to-god-the-father

Quick facts

Poem: A Hymn To God The Father
Poet: John Donne
Length: 18 lines
Form: Lyric Poem
Themes: Death & Loss, Peace

Craft notes

How this poem works

Measured from the text on this page, not copied from a summary. Counts are approximate: syllables and rhymes come from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, which models General American English, so dialect, older pronunciation, and performance can all change what you hear.

Shape: 18 lines · 3 sestets
Refrains: “When thou hast done, thou hast not done,”“For I have more.”Repeated lines act as the poem's hinge or drumbeat.

The poem’s silhouette — approximate syllables per line, measured from the text above. Even bars mean a measured line; ragged bars mean the poem sets its own widths.

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Author record: John Donne1572–1631
Source record: PoetryDBA Hymn To God The Father by john-donne, PoetryDB transcription
Display decision: Full text · United States · reviewed 2026-07-18
Publication record: Not recorded in the imported source
Text fingerprint: SHA-256 5f4c990ac132fcb2…
Editorial handling: Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.

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Lyric Poem Death & Loss Peace

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