Batter My Heart
by John Donne
Batter my heart, three-person’d 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 usurp’d town to’another due,
Labor to’admit you, but oh, to no end;
Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,
But is captiv’d, and proves weak or untrue.
Yet dearly’I love you, and would be lov’d fain,
But am betroth’d 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.



lucricausa
April 7, 2008 at 9:00 pm
I enjoy the imagery here of being captured, ravished and imprisoned by His goodness. The Bible speaks of us as “prisoners of hope”… You’re right, without that sort of captivating love, what chance would we have to be true?
beingmade
April 7, 2008 at 10:26 pm
I think that shall be my prayer right now.
Brian
April 8, 2008 at 8:10 am
lucricausa: “Prisoners of hope” — whoa! I’ve never heard that before. That’s it!
beingmade: Mine too. Amen.
lucricausa
April 8, 2008 at 7:30 pm
“Turn you to the strong hold, prisoners of hope…” Zechariah 9:12 Really beautiful passage. In the verse prior He speaks of our redemption by the blood covenant as “prisoners out of a pit wherein is no water.” The interesting part is that we’re “sent out” from it. In the bondage of one we’re deep within a dry pit… held captive by the other, we’re essentially commissioned to run about under the reign of His goodness and grace. In that light, it proves true that His yoke is easy. Rambling now– but it’s incredibly compelling to consider.