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: I think this is one of the best interprestations of this Sonnet which I have seen. It seems to be very accurate and concise. : One more point to add would be the paradox included at the end of this sonnet, as is included at the end of many of Donne's poems. : "Take me to you,imprison me, for I, : Except you enthrall me, never shall be free" : : Many of the postings here are pleas for interpretations of John Donne's works. : : Holy Sonnet 14 by John Donne mystifies most people who read it so I wrote the following. : : John Donne Holy Sonnet XIV Interpretation by Lyle Bate : : My interpretation below consists of quotes from the sonnet with an explanatory paraphrase in modern English which I have tried to craft as best I can. The entire 14th Holy Sonnet precedes. : : : : HOLY SONNET XIV by John Donne : : Batter my heart, three-personed 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 usurped town, to another due, : : Labour to admit you, but Oh, to no end. : : Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend, : : But is captived, and proves weak or untrue. : : Yet dearly I love you, and would be loved fain, : : But am betrothed 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. : : Interpretation: : : Batter my heart, three-personed God, for you : : As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend; : : So far, Holy Trinity, in your attempt to make me the best person I can be you have resorted to mild methods only, such as the whisperings of conscience, moral reason, and religious experiences. Please use stronger, emotionally challenging methods to better me, because so far the mild approach is not working particularly well and I’m getting impatient. : : That I may rise, and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend : : Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new. : : I really want to be independently, courageously, and valiantly righteous, therefore please use Your Power to destroy my carnal self (the natural man) using much harsher methods than before. Don’t knock, instead break. Don’t breathe, instead blow. Don’t shine, instead burn. This should make me the brand new person I so desperately want to be. : : I, like an usurped town, to another due, : : Labour to admit you, but Oh, to no end. : : My attempts to do Your will are frustrated by the carnal side of my nature aforementioned. My dual nature consisting of both my carnal self and my true holy nature can be compared to a city where the just and good government has been overthrown by an evil and corrupt regime. Obedience to this evil dictatorship is somewhat extorted from me and somewhat natural so I do not seem able to easily accept and do Your will. My efforts to do so are mostly in vain. : : Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend, : : But is captived, and proves weak or untrue. : : You have given me my conscience and reasoning powers. These powers are Your divinely appointed surrogate authority working in my favor and to my benefit. However, my moral reasoning powers are severely hampered by my carnal nature such that they often seem imprisoned, and extremely weak or unreliable. : : Yet dearly I love you, and would be loved fain, : : But am betrothed unto your enemy: : : In spite of all this, I deeply love You and want with all my heart for You to love me. I find, however, that I am basically married to the devil and his ways. : : 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. : : Untie the knot that binds me to the devil. Break this bond I have with the devil. Annul this marriage I have with the devil. Somehow forcibly throw me and my free agency in a prison of goodness, if you will. If You don’t make me Your slave, so to speak, I’ll never really be a free person. If You don’t take my chastity by force I’ll never be pure. : : I would be interested in any reactions to this or criticism of it.

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