ASSIGNMENT
Submitted to: Sir Ali Khan
Submitted By: Amina
khalid Semester: 𝟓𝒕𝒉
Roll No: 5018-211037
Subject: Poetry 1
Topic: John Donne (philosophy with
Reference) Submission Date: 10. October.2023
Teacher Remarks:
Introduction:
English Renaissance poet John Donne is well-known for his metaphysical poetry, which is
distinguished by its intellectual depth, wit, and intricate themes. His poetry exhibits a singular
synthesis of spiritual, metaphysical, and secular themes, and his writings make his worldview
clear. John Donne's philosophy in his poetry, particularly in his love and divine poems, is
characterized by a complex interplay of earthly and spiritual elements, skepticism, and an
exploration of the human condition.
Donne’s philosophy of love:
John Donne was an English poet and priest. He was very famous for his love poems. John Donne
love’s poems are universal in nature. He was a very witty kind of person; he also used wit in his
love poems that a common man would not understand. According to Donne love is life. The main
topic he has covered in his poem is love. Donne experiences love in his life and in poetry he
describes his experience of love. In his early life he wrote poems on anti-women and after his
marriage, he wrote poems for his wife (love of wife) later on he wrote divine poems (love of God).
Donne became the philosopher of love.
According to Donne’s philosophy love is always cynical. Cynical strain makes Donne a good
love poet of his era. In Donne's youth, he experiences his life in London and concludes that you
cannot find a true and faithful woman. Cynical love is also described in Donne’s poem “The
Song”. In the song, Donne follows the tradition of Petrarchan. In the song poet first talk about
impossible things such as meteor showering, and mermaids singing these are impossible thing
just like this finding a beautiful and faithful woman is also impossible. In the second stanza he
describes a man having the power to see invisible things, if he goes on a journey till his hair
becomes grey and if he returns then tells me about the wonderful thing that he sees during his
travel. he will not be able to find a faithful and fair woman in this world. If someone finds a fair
and faithful woman then tell me, the poet would go and see her. No doubt the woman might have
been faithful and beautiful when you meet her but she will not be faithful to you to the end.
According to Donne faithful and fair woman is impossible to find. Every beautiful woman will
have lovers, for them it’s not possible to faithful to any of them but faithfulness on part of ugly
woman is possible because she may not be able to attract lovers. He proves that loyalty is always
rare in women.
Let's delve into his philosophy with reference to specific poems:
Love and Earthly Desire:
Donne often explores the transient nature of earthly love and desire in his poetry. In his poem "Go
and Catch a Falling Star," he presents a series of impossible tasks to find an ideal, faithful woman,
ultimately suggesting that such a woman does not exist. This reflects his skepticism about the
constancy of earthly love.
"Go and catch a falling star,
Get with the child a mandrake root,
Tell me where all past years are,
Or who cleft the Devil's foot."
This poem underscores Donne's belief in the impermanence of worldly pleasures and the difficulty
of finding true love.
Divine Love and Redemption:
Donne's divine poems, such as "Batter my heart, three-person'd God" and "The Sun Rising," reveal
his deep spiritual convictions. In "Batter My Heart," Donne expresses a desire for God to violently
break his resistance and transform his soul. This reflects his belief in the necessity of divine
intervention for spiritual redemption.
"Batter my heart, three-person'd God, for you
As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;
That I may rise and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend
Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new."
In "The Sun Rising," Donne's speaker challenges the sun, asserting that love between two people is
more important than worldly affairs. This poem showcases his view of love as a divine force that
transcends the mundane.
"Love, all alike, no season knows, nor clime,
Nor hours, days, months, which are the rags of time."
Spirituality and Divine Love:
Donne's poem "Air and Angels" explores the theme of spiritual love and the contrast between
earthly and divine love. He suggests that earthly love is based on physical attraction, while spiritual
love transcends the physical and is focused on the soul. This reflects Donne's belief in the
superiority of spiritual love and the idea that love should be grounded in a deeper, spiritual
connection.
"License my roving hands, and let them go
Behind, before, above, between, below."
Union of the Physical and Spiritual:
Donne often explores the idea of the union of the physical and spiritual realms, both in love and
divine contexts. In "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning," he uses the metaphor of a compass to
illustrate the spiritual connection between lovers, emphasizing the idea that true love unites
souls.
"Such wilt thou be to me, who must,
Like the other foot, obliquely run;
Thy firmness makes my circle just,
And makes me end where I have begun."
This reflects Donne's belief that the physical and spiritual dimensions are intertwined and
interdependent.
In his love and divine poems, John Donne's philosophy revolves around themes of love's
impermanence, the need for divine intervention in redemption, and the interconnectedness of
the
physical and spiritual worlds. His poetry challenges conventional ideas about love and spirituality,
inviting readers to contemplate the complexities of human existence and the relationship between
the earthly and the divine. In summary, John Donne's philosophy in his poetry can be characterized
by themes of love's impermanence, the supremacy of spiritual love, the idea that love should
transcend worldly concerns, and the union of the physical and spiritual realms. His poems
challenge conventional notions of love and spirituality, inviting readers to contemplate the
complexities of human existence and the interconnectedness of the physical and the divine.
Donne's works continue to be celebrated for their intellectual depth and unique exploration of these
philosophical themes.
