1st Analysis of "A HYMN TO GOD THE FATHER" Poetry

A HYMN TO GOD THE FATHER

Wilt Thou forgive that sin where I begun,
Which was my sin though it were done before?
Wilt Thou forgive those sin through which I run,
And do them still, though still I do deplore?
When Thou hast done, Thou hast not done,
For I have more.

Wilt Thou forgive that sin by which I won
Others to sin, and made my sin their door?
Wilt Thou forgive that sin which I did shun
A year or two, but wallowed in a score?
When Thou hast done, Thou hast not done,
For I have more.

I have a sin of fear, that when I have spun
My last thread, I shall perish on the shore;
Swear by Thyself that at my death Thy Sun
Shall shine as it shines now, and heretofore;
And having done that, Thou hast done.
I have no more.

John Donne (1572-1631)

THE ANALYSYS OF POEM “A HYMN TO GOD THE FATHER”

In my opinion, the poem “A Hymn to God the Father” by John Donne which consists of three stanzas and each stanza has six lines, is a religion poem, because it addresses to God. That can be seen from the title of  the poem, we can understand that the writer wrote a hymn or a song to God. He asks the God for forgiveness for all of his mistakes, and it seems that he wants to repent from them. The background of the problem is about “sins” that he has done. He feels so regret for his sins, fear about the day he will die, but he always hopes and faiths that God will forgive all of his sins. The writer expresses his feelings of deploring, fear, and faithful.

Dictionary definitions of words that called denotative meaning, we can find it out at the poem. “A Hymn To God The Father” as the title of the poem can show that the poem is a song which the writer always uses to pray to God. He prays for the God’s forgiveness to his sins that he has done, because he deplores about them and he afraid about  his death. As well, “God The Father” in Christian means Jesus, the only one God that they worship. In the first and second stanza, “door” means thing that can be opened and closed to inn or exit from a building or room. Simply, “Score” is a mark used as a starting point or goal and keeping account. Still, most of words also consists of connotative meanings. “Forgive” for most of us is associated with love of God to human, sincerely, and “sin” is associated with the evil habits, be up to something, bad attitude that the writer has done in the past. However, in imagery the poem, words that are concrete denote things we can actually see or feel in some way, that is only “door”. We see a door as the object of something. But in the poem, “door” is abstract denote. Let’s look the sentence in the second line of the second stanza, “Others to sin, and made my sin their door?”. We may presume that the door is same meaning with one’s life. Other people make sins in their life, and also the writer. In addition, the other abstract denote can be found in word “Forgive”. In the poem, we read “Wilt Thou forgive that sin where I begun, Wilt Thou forgive that sin, through which I run, Wilt Thou forgive that sin which I have won, Wilt Thou forgive that sin which I did shun”. When human make sins, God forgive them in advance and at the end of them. Furthermore, “And do them still, though still I do deplore?”, we found many of presumes at the word. When someone deplore, we may presume that people are full of many emotions. They may be afraid, look blue, confused, silent, be at the end of their tether or rope, and also they may want to cry or scream loudly to express their deplorings or sins in the past. Then, “A year or two, but wallowed in a score”, we understand completely that the writer regrets from his sins for many years. He faiths with God that God will forgive his sins before he died, and he always hopes and prays for that.

But in addition to the denotative meaning, in the third stanza, “thread”, clearly, is a group of filaments twisted together formed by spinning and twisting short textile fibers into a continuous strand.  Also, “shore” means place like a beach, the land bordering a usually large body of water. The last is “Sun” that has the denotative meaning as the star round which the earth moves and which gives it heat and light, not to mention the connotative meaning is the noon, keep our end up, or happiness. We have a word “fear”, is assosiated with confiousness, worry, stress, trouble, or full of problems that appear in our life. Besides, the last word in the thirteen line, “spun” is assosiated with moving, rotate, and revolve. In life, human will move from one to other conditions, until they come to and end, or in other words, they will die. In the same stanza, “perish” means that people haven’t long life, and they will die at the end of their life. “Swear by Thyself that at my death thy Sun shall shine as it shines now, and heretofore; and having done that, Thou hast done”, this sentence show that the writer wants to get the peace and happiness in his life or in his death after God forgive all of his sins.

So, this poem is about “Asking for forgiveness to God about Sins”. Look here, people who make many of sins in the past want to repent, and asks for God’s forgiveness before he died. It comes because his fear of death, so he is very faithful to hope the forgiveness from the God. After he got the forgiveness, he wants to get rid of all of his sins; therefore, he can life and rest in peace.

                                                 10/30/2013

                                                 ( Laily Nur Iffah Sari)

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