- MarkverbChapter 1 →
To pay close attention to something; to notice or observe carefully. Here the speaker commands his companion to look at and consider the flea with full attention.
“Mark but this flea, and mark in this, / How little that which thou deny'st me is.”
- deny'stverbChapter 1 →
An archaic second-person singular form of 'deny,' meaning to refuse or withhold something from someone. The speaker uses it to mean the woman is refusing him what he wants.
“Mark but this flea, and mark in this, / How little that which thou deny'st me is.”
- minglingnounChapter 1 →
The mixing or blending of two things together into one. In this poem it refers to the joining of the speaker's and woman's blood inside the flea's body.
- pamperedadjectiveChapter 1 →
Overly indulged or swelled up; here used to describe the flea as bloated and gorged from feeding on both their blood.
- cloisteredadjectiveChapter 1 →
Enclosed or shut away in a confined, protected space, as monks are in a monastery. The speaker uses it to describe the flea's body as a kind of sacred, sheltered enclosure holding them both.
- sacrilegenounChapter 1 →
The act of violating or disrespecting something considered holy or sacred. The speaker claims killing the flea would be a desecration because he has declared it a marriage temple.
- stayverbChapter 1 →
To stop or hold back from doing something; an urgent command to pause or refrain from an action. Here the speaker begs the woman not to kill the flea.
“Oh stay, three lives in one flea spare, / Where we almost, yea more than married are.”
- yeaadverbChapter 1 →
An archaic word meaning 'yes' or 'indeed,' used to emphasize or strengthen a statement. Here it intensifies the claim that the flea represents more than a marriage.
“Oh stay, three lives in one flea spare, / Where we almost, yea more than married are.”
- yield'stverbChapter 1 →
An archaic second-person singular form of 'yield,' meaning to give in, surrender, or submit to another's will. The speaker uses it to urge the woman to give herself to him.
“Just so much honor, when thou yield'st to me, / Will waste, as this flea's death took life from thee.”
- wasteverbChapter 1 →
To be lost, diminished, or used up. The speaker argues that her honor will be depleted no more than the tiny drop of blood she lost when the flea bit her.
“Just so much honor, when thou yield'st to me, / Will waste, as this flea's death took life from thee.”
- aptadjectiveChapter 1 →
Likely or inclined to do something; having a natural tendency. Used to suggest the woman is quick or ready to act in a particular way.
- cruel and suddenphraseChapter 1 →
A paired description meaning both merciless and swift in action. The speaker uses it to condemn the woman's killing of the flea as an act of hasty brutality.
The FleaShort story by John Donne