by John Donne (1572 - 1631)
Spit in my face, ye Jews, and pierce my...
Language: English
Spit in my face, ye Jews, and pierce my side, Buffet, and scoff, scourge, and crucify me, For I have sinn'd, and sinne', and only He, Who could do no iniquity, hath died. But by my death can not be satisfied My sins, which pass the Jews' impiety. They kill'd once an inglorious man, but I Crucify him daily, being now glorified. O let me then His strange love still admire ; Kings pardon, but He bore our punishment ; And Jacob came clothed in vile harsh attire, But to supplant, and with gainful intent ; God clothed Himself in vile man's flesh, that so He might be weak enough to suffer woe.
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Authorship:
- by John Donne (1572 - 1631), no title, appears in Holy Sonnets, no. 11 [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Andrew Downes (1950 - 2023), "Spit in my face, ye Jews", op. 11 no. 2 (1976), from Five Holy Songs, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by John Eaton (1935 - 2015), "Spit in my face you Jews", op. 1 no. 2, first performed 1957 [ voice and full orchestra ], from Song Cycle on Holy Sonnets of John Donne, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 113