Lyric Poem · Peace

Holy Sonnet XVII: Since She Whom I Loved

by John Donne

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1Since she whom I loved hath paid her last debt

2To Nature, and to hers, and my good is dead,

3And her soul early into heaven ravished,

4Wholly on heavenly things my mind is set.

5here the admiring her my mind did whet

6To seek thee, God; so streams do show the head;

7But though I have found thee, and thou my thirst hast fed,

8a holy thristy dropsy melts me yet.

9But why should I beg more love, whenas thou

10Dost woo my soul, for hers offering all thine:

11And dost not only fear lest I allow

12My love to saints and angels, things divine,

13but in they tender jealousy dost doubt

14lest the world, flesh, yea, devil put thee out.

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“Holy Sonnet XVII: Since She Whom I Loved” by John Donne — quilloak.com/poems/holy-sonnet-xvii-since-she-whom-i-loved

Quick facts

Poem: Holy Sonnet XVII: Since She Whom I Loved
Poet: John Donne
Length: 14 lines
Form: Lyric Poem
Themes: Peace, Love, Death & Loss

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Shape: 14 lines · one 14-line stanza
Line length: Mostly 10-syllable lines (pentameter length).

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Author record: John Donne1572–1631
Source record: PoetryDBHoly Sonnet XVII: Since She Whom I Loved 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 5f817d8b5996e2fd…
Editorial handling: Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.

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Lyric Poem Peace Love Death & Loss

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