"No, Thank You, John" is a dramatic monologue written by the renowned English poet Christina Rossetti. The poem was published in her first poetry collection, Goblin Market and Other Poems, in 1862. Like much of Rossetti's work, the poem is written from the point of view of a woman and explores her experience of society. In particular, "No, Thank You, John" explores the gender dynamics and social expectations between a man romantically pursuing a woman who refuses him.
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The Full Text of “No, Thank You, John”
1I never said I loved you, John:
2 Why will you tease me, day by day,
3And wax a weariness to think upon
4 With always "do" and "pray"?
5You know I never loved you, John;
6 No fault of mine made me your toast:
7Why will you haunt me with a face as wan
8 As shows an hour-old ghost?
9I dare say Meg or Moll would take
10 Pity upon you, if you'd ask:
11And pray don't remain single for my sake
12 Who can't perform that task.
13I have no heart?—Perhaps I have not;
14 But then you're mad to take offence
15That I don't give you what I have not got:
16 Use your common sense.
17Let bygones be bygones:
18 Don't call me false, who owed not to be true:
19I'd rather answer "No" to fifty Johns
20 Than answer "Yes" to you.
21Let's mar our pleasant days no more,
22 Song-birds of passage, days of youth:
23Catch at to-day, forget the days before:
24 I'll wink at your untruth.
25Let us strike hands as hearty friends;
26 No more, no less: and friendship's good:
27Only don't keep in view ulterior ends,
28 And points not understood
29In open treaty. Rise above
30 Quibbles and shuffling off and on:
31Here's friendship for you if you like; but love,—
32 No, thank you, John.
The Full Text of “No, Thank You, John”
1I never said I loved you, John:
2 Why will you tease me, day by day,
3And wax a weariness to think upon
4 With always "do" and "pray"?
5You know I never loved you, John;
6 No fault of mine made me your toast:
7Why will you haunt me with a face as wan
8 As shows an hour-old ghost?
9I dare say Meg or Moll would take
10 Pity upon you, if you'd ask:
11And pray don't remain single for my sake
12 Who can't perform that task.
13I have no heart?—Perhaps I have not;
14 But then you're mad to take offence
15That I don't give you what I have not got:
16 Use your common sense.
17Let bygones be bygones:
18 Don't call me false, who owed not to be true:
19I'd rather answer "No" to fifty Johns
20 Than answer "Yes" to you.
21Let's mar our pleasant days no more,
22 Song-birds of passage, days of youth:
23Catch at to-day, forget the days before:
24 I'll wink at your untruth.
25Let us strike hands as hearty friends;
26 No more, no less: and friendship's good:
27Only don't keep in view ulterior ends,
28 And points not understood
29In open treaty. Rise above
30 Quibbles and shuffling off and on:
31Here's friendship for you if you like; but love,—
32 No, thank you, John.
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“No, Thank You, John” Summary
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“No, Thank You, John” Themes
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Unrequited Love and Gender
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “No, Thank You, John”
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Lines 1-4
I never said I loved you, John:
Why will you tease me, day by day,
And wax a weariness to think upon
With always "do" and "pray"? -
Lines 5-8
You know I never loved you, John;
No fault of mine made me your toast:
Why will you haunt me with a face as wan
As shows an hour-old ghost? -
Lines 9-12
I dare say Meg or Moll would take
Pity upon you, if you'd ask:
And pray don't remain single for my sake
Who can't perform that task. -
Lines 13-16
I have no heart?—Perhaps I have not;
But then you're mad to take offence
That I don't give you what I have not got:
Use your common sense. -
Lines 17-20
Let bygones be bygones:
Don't call me false, who owed not to be true:
I'd rather answer "No" to fifty Johns
Than answer "Yes" to you. -
Lines 21-24
Let's mar our pleasant days no more,
Song-birds of passage, days of youth:
Catch at to-day, forget the days before:
I'll wink at your untruth. -
Lines 25-28
Let us strike hands as hearty friends;
No more, no less: and friendship's good:
Only don't keep in view ulterior ends,
And points not understood -
Lines 29-32
In open treaty. Rise above
Quibbles and shuffling off and on:
Here's friendship for you if you like; but love,—
No, thank you, John.
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“No, Thank You, John” Symbols
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The Ghost
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“No, Thank You, John” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Imagery
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Simile
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Repetition
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Caesura
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Enjambment
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Alliteration
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Consonance
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Assonance
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“No, Thank You, John” 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.
- Wax
- Toast
- Wan
- Mad
- Bygones
- Mar
- Hearty
- Ulterior
- Treaty
- Quibbles
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “No, Thank You, John”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“No, Thank You, John” Speaker
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“No, Thank You, John” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “No, Thank You, John”
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More “No, Thank You, John” Resources
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External Resources
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"No, Thank You, John" Quartet Adaptation — Listen to a musical quartet adaptation of the entire poem.
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"No, Thank You, John" Choral Adaptation — Listen to a choral adaptation of the poem.
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The Poem Read Aloud — Listen to a reading of the poem.
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A Video Interpretation — Watch a video interpretation of the poem.
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Rossetti Among the Pre-Raphaelites — A review considering the relationship between Rossetti's work and the art of that time, including historical context for "No, Thank You, John."
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LitCharts on Other Poems by Christina Rossetti
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