Religion

Sonnet: As due by many titles, I resign

by John Donne 1572–1631

From Specimens with Memoirs of the Less-known British Poets, ed. George Gilfillan (1860)

Religion

As due by many titles, I resign
Myself to thee, O God! First I was made
By thee, and for thee; and when I was decayed
Thy blood bought that, the which before was thine.
I am thy son, made with thyself to shine,
Thy servant, whose pains thou hast still repaid,
Thy sheep, thine image; and, till I betrayed
Myself, a temple of thy Spirit divine.
Why doth the devil then usurp on me?
Why doth he steal, nay, ravish, that's thy right?
Except thou rise, and for thine own work fight,
Oh! I shall soon despair, when I shall see
That thou lov'st mankind well, yet wilt not choose me,
And Satan hates me, yet is loth to lose me.

MLA

Donne, John. “Sonnet: As due by many titles, I resign.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/donne/166/.

Chicago

Donne, John. “Sonnet: As due by many titles, I resign.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/donne/166/.

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