Love Quote by John Donne
““Twice or thrice had I loved thee, Before I knew thy face or name; So in a voice, so in a shapeless flame, Angels affect us oft, and worshipped be; Still when, to where thou wert, I came, Some lovely glorius nothing I did see, But since my soul, whose child love is, Takes limbs of flesh, and else could nothing do, More subtle than a parent is Love must not be, but take a body too, And therefore what thou wert, and who I bid love ask, and now That it assume thy body, I allow, And fix itself in thy lip, eye, and brow.””
About This Quote
Source Poem: Holy Sonnets, 1633
The speaker describes love that begins without physical knowledge, then becomes embodied, insisting love must take a physical form to be true.
In simple terms: Love starts abstract, then needs a body.
Key Takeaway
Embrace love fully, not just in idea.
Themes
love
spirituality
embodiment
desire
Mood
reflective
poetic
Type
literary
romantic
When to use this quote
- courtship
- spiritual reflection
- personal relationships
Key Concepts
metaphysics
theology
human experience
Questions to Reflect On
- Can love exist without physical expression?
- How does embodiment change love?
A Different Perspective
Love's physical demands can limit pure affection.
