John Donne's "Go and catch a falling star," first published in 1633, is a fantastical take on a traditional (and misogynistic) theme: women's supposedly inevitable infidelity. In the poem, a speaker tells a listener that he can look the whole world over, but finding a woman who'll be faithful to him is about as unlikely as finding a mermaid or meeting the devil. The poem's rhyme scheme, relatively steady meter, and clear hyperbole make its tone feel light-hearted and satirical, but the speaker also seems to harbor genuine melancholy, bitterness, and cynicism towards women and relationships.
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The Full Text of “Song: Go and catch a falling star”
1Go and catch a falling star,
2 Get with child a mandrake root,
3Tell me where all past years are,
4 Or who cleft the devil's foot,
5Teach me to hear mermaids singing,
6Or to keep off envy's stinging,
7 And find
8 What wind
9Serves to advance an honest mind.
10If thou be'st born to strange sights,
11 Things invisible to see,
12Ride ten thousand days and nights,
13 Till age snow white hairs on thee,
14Thou, when thou return'st, wilt tell me,
15All strange wonders that befell thee,
16 And swear,
17 No where
18Lives a woman true, and fair.
19If thou find'st one, let me know,
20 Such a pilgrimage were sweet;
21Yet do not, I would not go,
22 Though at next door we might meet;
23Though she were true, when you met her,
24And last, till you write your letter,
25 Yet she
26 Will be
27False, ere I come, to two, or three.
The Full Text of “Song: Go and catch a falling star”
1Go and catch a falling star,
2 Get with child a mandrake root,
3Tell me where all past years are,
4 Or who cleft the devil's foot,
5Teach me to hear mermaids singing,
6Or to keep off envy's stinging,
7 And find
8 What wind
9Serves to advance an honest mind.
10If thou be'st born to strange sights,
11 Things invisible to see,
12Ride ten thousand days and nights,
13 Till age snow white hairs on thee,
14Thou, when thou return'st, wilt tell me,
15All strange wonders that befell thee,
16 And swear,
17 No where
18Lives a woman true, and fair.
19If thou find'st one, let me know,
20 Such a pilgrimage were sweet;
21Yet do not, I would not go,
22 Though at next door we might meet;
23Though she were true, when you met her,
24And last, till you write your letter,
25 Yet she
26 Will be
27False, ere I come, to two, or three.
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“Song: Go and catch a falling star” Summary
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“Song: Go and catch a falling star” Themes
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Women's Infidelity
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Song: Go and catch a falling star”
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Lines 1-4
Go and catch a falling star,
Get with child a mandrake root,
Tell me where all past years are,
Or who cleft the devil's foot, -
Lines 5-6
Teach me to hear mermaids singing,
Or to keep off envy's stinging, -
Lines 7-9
And find
What wind
Serves to advance an honest mind. -
Lines 10-13
If thou be'st born to strange sights,
Things invisible to see,
Ride ten thousand days and nights,
Till age snow white hairs on thee, -
Lines 14-18
Thou, when thou return'st, wilt tell me,
All strange wonders that befell thee,
And swear,
No where
Lives a woman true, and fair. -
Lines 19-20
If thou find'st one, let me know,
Such a pilgrimage were sweet; -
Lines 21-22
Yet do not, I would not go,
Though at next door we might meet; -
Lines 23-27
Though she were true, when you met her,
And last, till you write your letter,
Yet she
Will be
False, ere I come, to two, or three.
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“Song: Go and catch a falling star” Symbols
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The Falling Star
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Mandrake Root
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The Devil's Foot
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Mermaids
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“Song: Go and catch a falling star” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Alliteration
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Apostrophe
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Assonance
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Enjambment
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Sibilance
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Allusion
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Hyperbole
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Repetition
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Irony
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“Song: Go and catch a falling star” 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.
- Mandrake
- Cleft
- Mermaids
- Envy
- Advance
- Thou
- Be'st
- Thee
- Wilt
- Befell
- True, and fair
- Find'st
- False
- Ere
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- See where this vocabulary word appears in the poem.
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Song: Go and catch a falling star”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“Song: Go and catch a falling star” Speaker
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“Song: Go and catch a falling star” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “Song: Go and catch a falling star”
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More “Song: Go and catch a falling star” Resources
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External Resources
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Donne's Life and Work — A short biography and links to more of Donne's work from the Poetry Foundation.
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Richard Burton Reads the Poem — The famous actor gives a dramatic reading. (Notice his pronunciation of "wind"!)
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Donne's Grave — The story of John Donne's burial in St. Paul's Cathedral, where he was the Dean.
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Close Readings From the British Library — A biography and an in-depth look at a few of of Donne's poems.
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Digital Donne — A comprehensive scholarly guide to John Donne's manuscripts.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by John Donne
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