Lyric Poem · Death & Loss

Holy Sonnet XI: Spit In My Face You Jews, And Pierce My Side

by John Donne

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1Spit in my face you Jews, and pierce my side,

2Buffet, and scoff, scourge, and crucify me,

3For I have sinned, and sinned, and only he

4Who could do no iniquity hath died:

5But by my death can not be satisfied

6My sins, which pass the Jews' impiety:

7They killed once an inglorious man, but I

8Crucify him daily, being now glorified.

9Oh let me, then, his strange love still admire:

10Kings pardon, but he bore our punishment.

11And Jacob came clothed in vile harsh attire

12But to supplant, and with gainful intent:

13God clothed himself in vile man's flesh, that so

14He might be weak enough to suffer woe.

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“Holy Sonnet XI: Spit In My Face You Jews, And Pierce My Side” by John Donne — quilloak.com/poems/holy-sonnet-xi-spit-in-my-face-you-jews-and-pierce-my-side

Quick facts

Poem: Holy Sonnet XI: Spit In My Face You Jews, And Pierce My Side
Poet: John Donne
Length: 14 lines
Form: Lyric Poem
Themes: Death & Loss, Peace, Love

Craft notes

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Shape: 14 lines · one 14-line stanza
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Author record: John Donne1572–1631
Source record: PoetryDBHoly Sonnet XI: Spit In My Face You Jews, And Pierce My Side by john-donne, PoetryDB transcription
Display decision: Full text · United States · reviewed 2026-07-18
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Text fingerprint: SHA-256 bef5e1c7a9a1a2c4…
Editorial handling: Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.

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Lyric Poem Death & Loss Peace Love

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