The Full Text of “The Ecstasy”
1Where, like a pillow on a bed
2 A pregnant bank swell'd up, to rest
3The violet's reclining head,
4 Sat we two, one another's best.
5Our hands were firmly cemented
6 With a fast balm, which thence did spring;
7Our eye-beams twisted, and did thread
8 Our eyes upon one double string;
9So to'intergraft our hands, as yet
10 Was all the means to make us one,
11And pictures in our eyes to get
12 Was all our propagation.
13As, 'twixt two equal armies, Fate
14 Suspends uncertain victory,
15Our souls (which to advance their state
16 Were gone out) hung 'twixt her, and me.
17And whilst our souls negotiate there,
18 We like sepulchral statues lay;
19All day, the same our postures were,
20 And we said nothing, all the day.
21If any, so by love refin'd
22 That he soul's language understood,
23And by good love were grown all mind,
24 Within convenient distance stood,
25He (though he knew not which soul spake,
26 Because both meant, both spake the same)
27Might thence a new concoction take,
28 And part far purer than he came.
29"This ecstasy doth unperplex,"
30 We said, "and tell us what we love;
31We see by this it was not sex,
32 We see we saw not what did move:
33"But as all several souls contain
34 Mixture of things, they know not what,
35Love these mix'd souls doth mix again
36 And makes both one, each this and that.
37"A single violet transplant,—
38 The strength, the colour, and the size,
39All which before was poor, and scant,
40 Redoubles still, and multiplies.
41"When love, with one another so
42 Interinanimates two souls,
43That abler soul, which thence doth flow,
44 Defects of loneliness controls.
45"We then, who are this new soul, know
46 Of what we are compos'd and made,
47For th' atomies of which we grow
48 Are souls, whom no change can invade.
49"But oh alas, so long, so far,
50 Our bodies why do we forbear?
51They'are ours, though they'are not we; we are
52 The intelligences, they the spheres.
53"We owe them thanks, because they thus
54 Did us, to us, at first convey,
55Yielded their forces, sense, to us,
56 Nor are dross to us, but allay.
57"On man heaven's influence works not so,
58 But that it first imprints the air;
59So soul into the soul may flow,
60 Though it to body first repair.
61"As our blood labours to beget
62 Spirits, as like souls as it can,
63Because such fingers need, to knit
64 That subtle knot, which makes us man:
65"So must pure lovers' souls descend
66 T' affections, and to faculties,
67Which sense may reach and apprehend,
68 Else a great Prince in prison lies.
69"To'our bodies turn we then, that so
70 Weak men on love reveal'd may look;
71Love's mysteries in souls do grow,
72 But yet the body is his book:
73"And if some lover, such as we,
74 Have heard this Dialogue of One,
75Let him still mark us, he shall see
76 Small change, when we'are to bodies gone."
The Full Text of “The Ecstasy”
1Where, like a pillow on a bed
2 A pregnant bank swell'd up, to rest
3The violet's reclining head,
4 Sat we two, one another's best.
5Our hands were firmly cemented
6 With a fast balm, which thence did spring;
7Our eye-beams twisted, and did thread
8 Our eyes upon one double string;
9So to'intergraft our hands, as yet
10 Was all the means to make us one,
11And pictures in our eyes to get
12 Was all our propagation.
13As, 'twixt two equal armies, Fate
14 Suspends uncertain victory,
15Our souls (which to advance their state
16 Were gone out) hung 'twixt her, and me.
17And whilst our souls negotiate there,
18 We like sepulchral statues lay;
19All day, the same our postures were,
20 And we said nothing, all the day.
21If any, so by love refin'd
22 That he soul's language understood,
23And by good love were grown all mind,
24 Within convenient distance stood,
25He (though he knew not which soul spake,
26 Because both meant, both spake the same)
27Might thence a new concoction take,
28 And part far purer than he came.
29"This ecstasy doth unperplex,"
30 We said, "and tell us what we love;
31We see by this it was not sex,
32 We see we saw not what did move:
33"But as all several souls contain
34 Mixture of things, they know not what,
35Love these mix'd souls doth mix again
36 And makes both one, each this and that.
37"A single violet transplant,—
38 The strength, the colour, and the size,
39All which before was poor, and scant,
40 Redoubles still, and multiplies.
41"When love, with one another so
42 Interinanimates two souls,
43That abler soul, which thence doth flow,
44 Defects of loneliness controls.
45"We then, who are this new soul, know
46 Of what we are compos'd and made,
47For th' atomies of which we grow
48 Are souls, whom no change can invade.
49"But oh alas, so long, so far,
50 Our bodies why do we forbear?
51They'are ours, though they'are not we; we are
52 The intelligences, they the spheres.
53"We owe them thanks, because they thus
54 Did us, to us, at first convey,
55Yielded their forces, sense, to us,
56 Nor are dross to us, but allay.
57"On man heaven's influence works not so,
58 But that it first imprints the air;
59So soul into the soul may flow,
60 Though it to body first repair.
61"As our blood labours to beget
62 Spirits, as like souls as it can,
63Because such fingers need, to knit
64 That subtle knot, which makes us man:
65"So must pure lovers' souls descend
66 T' affections, and to faculties,
67Which sense may reach and apprehend,
68 Else a great Prince in prison lies.
69"To'our bodies turn we then, that so
70 Weak men on love reveal'd may look;
71Love's mysteries in souls do grow,
72 But yet the body is his book:
73"And if some lover, such as we,
74 Have heard this Dialogue of One,
75Let him still mark us, he shall see
76 Small change, when we'are to bodies gone."
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“The Ecstasy” Introduction
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“The Ecstasy” Summary
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“The Ecstasy” Themes
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The Unifying Power of Love
- See where this theme is active in the poem.
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The Relationship Between Body and Soul
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “The Ecstasy”
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Lines 1-4
Where, like a pillow on a bed
A pregnant bank swell'd up, to rest
The violet's reclining head,
Sat we two, one another's best. -
Lines 5-6
Our hands were firmly cemented
With a fast balm, which thence did spring; -
Lines 7-8
Our eye-beams twisted, and did thread
Our eyes upon one double string; -
Lines 9-12
So to'intergraft our hands, as yet
Was all the means to make us one,
And pictures in our eyes to get
Was all our propagation. -
Lines 13-16
As, 'twixt two equal armies, Fate
Suspends uncertain victory,
Our souls (which to advance their state
Were gone out) hung 'twixt her, and me. -
Lines 17-20
And whilst our souls negotiate there,
We like sepulchral statues lay;
All day, the same our postures were,
And we said nothing, all the day. -
Lines 21-24
If any, so by love refin'd
That he soul's language understood,
And by good love were grown all mind,
Within convenient distance stood, -
Lines 25-28
He (though he knew not which soul spake,
Because both meant, both spake the same)
Might thence a new concoction take,
And part far purer than he came. -
Lines 29-32
"This ecstasy doth unperplex,"
We said, "and tell us what we love;
We see by this it was not sex,
We see we saw not what did move: -
Lines 33-36
"But as all several souls contain
Mixture of things, they know not what,
Love these mix'd souls doth mix again
And makes both one, each this and that. -
Lines 37-44
"A single violet transplant,—
The strength, the colour, and the size,
All which before was poor, and scant,
Redoubles still, and multiplies.
"When love, with one another so
Interinanimates two souls,
That abler soul, which thence doth flow,
Defects of loneliness controls. -
Lines 45-48
"We then, who are this new soul, know
Of what we are compos'd and made,
For th' atomies of which we grow
Are souls, whom no change can invade. -
Lines 49-52
"But oh alas, so long, so far,
Our bodies why do we forbear?
They'are ours, though they'are not we; we are
The intelligences, they the spheres. -
Lines 53-56
"We owe them thanks, because they thus
Did us, to us, at first convey,
Yielded their forces, sense, to us,
Nor are dross to us, but allay. -
Lines 57-60
"On man heaven's influence works not so,
But that it first imprints the air;
So soul into the soul may flow,
Though it to body first repair. -
Lines 61-64
"As our blood labours to beget
Spirits, as like souls as it can,
Because such fingers need, to knit
That subtle knot, which makes us man: -
Lines 65-68
"So must pure lovers' souls descend
T' affections, and to faculties,
Which sense may reach and apprehend,
Else a great Prince in prison lies. -
Lines 69-72
"To'our bodies turn we then, that so
Weak men on love reveal'd may look;
Love's mysteries in souls do grow,
But yet the body is his book: -
Lines 73-76
"And if some lover, such as we,
Have heard this Dialogue of One,
Let him still mark us, he shall see
Small change, when we'are to bodies gone."
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“The Ecstasy” Symbols
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The Violet
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“The Ecstasy” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Metaphor
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Simile
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Anaphora
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Repetition
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Alliteration
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Allusion
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“The Ecstasy” 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.
- Cemented
- Fast balm
- Thence
- Eye-beams
- Intergraft
- Propagation
- 'Twixt
- Sepulchral statues
- Refin'd
- Spake
- Concoction
- Ecstasy
- Unperplex
- Several
- Redoubles
- Interinanimates
- Abler
- Thence
- Defects of loneliness
- Atomies
- No change can invade
- Forbear
- They'are
- Intelligences and spheres
- Did us, to us, at first convey
- Yielded their forces, sense, to us
- Dross and allay
- Heaven's influence
- Imprints
- Repair
- Beget
- Spirits
- Affections and faculties
- Which sense may reach and apprehend
- A great Prince
- Dialogue of One
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- See where this vocabulary word appears in the poem.
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “The Ecstasy”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“The Ecstasy” Speaker
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“The Ecstasy” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “The Ecstasy”
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More “The Ecstasy” Resources
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External Resources
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A Portrait of Donne — Admire a famous portrait of Donne (in which he poses as the ideal melancholic lover).
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The Poem Aloud — Listen to the actor Richard Burton reading the poem aloud.
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A Short Biography — Learn more about Donne's life and work via the Poetry Foundation's biography.
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A Donne Manuscript — Read an article discussing a rediscovered manuscript of Donne's poems (and learn more about his hesitation to publish his work during his lifetime).
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An Appreciation of Donne — Read the contemporary poet Linda Gregerson's reflections on what Donne means to her.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by John Donne
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