"A Hymn to God the Father" is English Metaphysical poet John Donne's prayer for forgiveness. Enumerating his sins, the poem's speaker worries that God could never forgive them all—until he realizes that believing God couldn't forgive him is the silliest sin of all. God, this poem says, is fathomlessly merciful, able to forgive the worst of sinners if they only ask. The poem was first published in Donne's posthumous 1633 collection Poems.
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The Full Text of “A Hymn to God the Father”
1Wilt thou forgive that sin where I begun,
2 Which was my sin, though it were done before?
3Wilt thou forgive that sin, through which I run,
4 And do run still, though still I do deplore?
5 When thou hast done, thou hast not done,
6 For I have more.
7Wilt thou forgive that sin which I have won
8 Others to sin, and made my sin their door?
9Wilt thou forgive that sin which I did shun
10 A year or two, but wallow'd in, a score?
11 When thou hast done, thou hast not done,
12 For I have more.
13I have a sin of fear, that when I have spun
14 My last thread, I shall perish on the shore;
15But swear by thyself, that at my death thy Son
16 Shall shine as he shines now, and heretofore;
17 And, having done that, thou hast done;
18 I fear no more.
The Full Text of “A Hymn to God the Father”
1Wilt thou forgive that sin where I begun,
2 Which was my sin, though it were done before?
3Wilt thou forgive that sin, through which I run,
4 And do run still, though still I do deplore?
5 When thou hast done, thou hast not done,
6 For I have more.
7Wilt thou forgive that sin which I have won
8 Others to sin, and made my sin their door?
9Wilt thou forgive that sin which I did shun
10 A year or two, but wallow'd in, a score?
11 When thou hast done, thou hast not done,
12 For I have more.
13I have a sin of fear, that when I have spun
14 My last thread, I shall perish on the shore;
15But swear by thyself, that at my death thy Son
16 Shall shine as he shines now, and heretofore;
17 And, having done that, thou hast done;
18 I fear no more.
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“A Hymn to God the Father” Summary
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“A Hymn to God the Father” Themes
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Sin and Forgiveness
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “A Hymn to God the Father”
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Lines 1-4
Wilt thou forgive that sin where I begun,
Which was my sin, though it were done before?
Wilt thou forgive that sin, through which I run,
And do run still, though still I do deplore? -
Lines 5-6
When thou hast done, thou hast not done,
For I have more. -
Lines 7-12
Wilt thou forgive that sin which I have won
Others to sin, and made my sin their door?
Wilt thou forgive that sin which I did shun
A year or two, but wallow'd in, a score?
When thou hast done, thou hast not done,
For I have more. -
Lines 13-14
I have a sin of fear, that when I have spun
My last thread, I shall perish on the shore; -
Lines 15-18
But swear by thyself, that at my death thy Son
Shall shine as he shines now, and heretofore;
And, having done that, thou hast done;
I fear no more.
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“A Hymn to God the Father” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Apostrophe
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Refrain
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Pun
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Anaphora
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Metaphor
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“A Hymn to God the Father” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Wilt thou
- My sin, though it were done before
- Deplore
- Shun
- Perish
- Thyself/Thy
- Heretofore
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- See where this vocabulary word appears in the poem.
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “A Hymn to God the Father”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“A Hymn to God the Father” Speaker
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“A Hymn to God the Father” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “A Hymn to God the Father”
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More “A Hymn to God the Father” Resources
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External Resources
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The Poem Aloud — Listen to the great Shakespearean actor Simon Russell Beale perform this poem and discuss what it means to him.
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The Poem Set to Music — Listen to one of the many musical versions of the hymn.
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A Brief Biography — Learn more about Donne's life and work from the British Library.
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Donne's Effigy — See images of Donne's startling funeral monument, which depicts his shrouded corpse standing bolt upright—an image that reflects his faith in the resurrection.
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The Metaphysical Poets — Read an introduction to the Metaphysical Poets (for whom Donne is the poster boy).
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LitCharts on Other Poems by John Donne
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