I think the phrase "But swear by thyself" is a reference to passages in the New Testament book of Hebrews, in chapters 6 & 7. Chapter 6:13-20 in the King James version:
'For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
'For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.'
The Hebrew 7:21-22 passage is commenting on the fourth verse of Psalm 110:
'And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest: (For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec):By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.'
Oh, yes, Holly! I think that expression or similar appears a lot in poetry and literature if this age, but I never connected it to this biblical passage. This seems exactly right.
I wouldn't put it past Donne to have made a double allusion to both the literary fashion of the day and the Scripture passage. I think I recognized the Scripture passage because of this 18th century hymn 'The God of Abraham Praise' performed in the traditional 'quire' style from a favourite album of hymns. The 1st line of the second verse is very audible "He by himself hath sworn, I on his oath depend".
Wow. This is special. I can relate, especially to his expression of fear. The hymn is truly beautiful. It says so much in so little. Thanks for explaining the puns; I would not have picked up on that. Simon Russel Beale's reading is exquisite.
"I need to reorient myself and remember that none of this is new." This helped me today. It's been weird for me lately.
Thank you for taking the time to share your gifts and calling with us, Karen. To read this poem with your guidance is to open a rich, vast treasure trove of beauty and wisdom. I am grateful.
This poem was so relatable as you know, I by turns share the same fears Donne expresses. I find myself thinking of the other great English Christian author of the 1600s, though in the second half of the century, John Bunyan, and thinking he might have benefitted from Donne's words too. Apparently, scholars think Bun read Donne, despite the fact that Donne was Anglican and ordained on recommendation of James I, while Bunyan was a Dissenting Baptist minister who, in his youth, fought in the Puritan army against Charles I, son of the James I, and after the Restoration of the monarchy, was imprisoned under Charles II because of his dissent from the Anglican Church. Yes, politics and religion were badly confounded in the 17th century.
I had never read this poem prior.
Beautiful expression of twin fears that he is not worthy of salvation and that his faith in the idea of salvation was misplaced. I love this series!
And nice pun. 😅
Thank you, David. I love Donne so much. And the way you distill that fear into these categories is so elegant and neat. Perfect.
I think the phrase "But swear by thyself" is a reference to passages in the New Testament book of Hebrews, in chapters 6 & 7. Chapter 6:13-20 in the King James version:
'For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
'For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.'
The Hebrew 7:21-22 passage is commenting on the fourth verse of Psalm 110:
'And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest: (For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec):By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.'
Oh, yes, Holly! I think that expression or similar appears a lot in poetry and literature if this age, but I never connected it to this biblical passage. This seems exactly right.
I wouldn't put it past Donne to have made a double allusion to both the literary fashion of the day and the Scripture passage. I think I recognized the Scripture passage because of this 18th century hymn 'The God of Abraham Praise' performed in the traditional 'quire' style from a favourite album of hymns. The 1st line of the second verse is very audible "He by himself hath sworn, I on his oath depend".
Forgot the link: https://youtu.be/352MkaAiMa8?feature=shared
Thank you! I didn’t know that hymn.
Wow. This is special. I can relate, especially to his expression of fear. The hymn is truly beautiful. It says so much in so little. Thanks for explaining the puns; I would not have picked up on that. Simon Russel Beale's reading is exquisite.
"I need to reorient myself and remember that none of this is new." This helped me today. It's been weird for me lately.
Thanks for your work. I appreciate it.
It has been very weird lately. Glad this helped today.
Thank you for taking the time to share your gifts and calling with us, Karen. To read this poem with your guidance is to open a rich, vast treasure trove of beauty and wisdom. I am grateful.
Thank you, Teri. 🤍
This poem was so relatable as you know, I by turns share the same fears Donne expresses. I find myself thinking of the other great English Christian author of the 1600s, though in the second half of the century, John Bunyan, and thinking he might have benefitted from Donne's words too. Apparently, scholars think Bun read Donne, despite the fact that Donne was Anglican and ordained on recommendation of James I, while Bunyan was a Dissenting Baptist minister who, in his youth, fought in the Puritan army against Charles I, son of the James I, and after the Restoration of the monarchy, was imprisoned under Charles II because of his dissent from the Anglican Church. Yes, politics and religion were badly confounded in the 17th century.
Bunyan is great in his own way. And he was quite well read.
Oh yes, I was just thinking that if I found Donne encouraging, that Bunyan, with his similar mental struggles might have too.