Batter my heart, three person'd God; for...

Batter my heart, three person'd God; for you
As yet but knocke, breathe, shine, and seeke to mend;
That I may rise, and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend
Your force, to breake, blowe, burn and make me new.
I, like an usurpt towne, to another due,
Labour to admit you, but Oh, to no end,
Reason your viceroy in mee, mee should defend
But is captiv'd, and proves weake or untrue.
Yet dearely I love you, and would be loved faine,
But am betroth'd unto your enemie:
Divorce mee, untie, or breake that knot againe,
Take mee to you, imprison mee, for I
Except you enthrall mee, never shall be free,
Nor ever chaste, except you ravish mee.

by John Donne (1572-1631) , no title, from Holy Sonnets, no. 14

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

by Sir Lennox Berkeley (1903-1989) , "Batter my heart", published c1962. [soprano, chorus, oboe, cellos, double-basses and organ]
by (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) , "Batter my heart", op. 35 no. 2 (1945), published c1946 [high voice and piano], from The Holy Sonnets of John Donne, no. 2.
by Geoffrey Burgon (1941-) , "Batter my heart, three person'd God", 2001? [voice and piano], from Heavenly Things, no. 2.
by Mervyn Burtch (1929-) , "Batter my heart", published 1976 [four-part mixed chorus a cappella], from Three Sonnets of John Donne, no. ?
by John Eaton (1935-) , "Holy Sonnet no. XIV" [voice and chamber orchestra], from Songs of Desperation and Comfort, no. 1.
by Olivier Greif (1950-2000) , "Holy sonnet", op. 310 no. 5 (1995) [voice and piano], from Les chants de l'âme, no. 5.
by Dorian Le Gallienne (1915-1963) , "Batter my heart", published 1967, from Four Divine Poems of John Donne, no. ?
by Douglas Stuart Moore (1893-1969) , "Batter my heart", published 1944 [high voice and piano], from Three Sonnets of John Donne Set to Music, no. ?
by William B. Wordsworth (1908-1988) , "Batter my heart", 1944, published 1946, from Four Sacred Sonnets, no. ?

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