john donne, a poet more of spirituality than of sensuality

John Donne, a PoetIn ‘Elegy XII: His Parting from Her’, Donne portrays the picture of a lover who is not in anykind of mechanical love but in real love. As a result, he has mutually enjoyed all the sighs,tears and fevers of love. This love challenges fortune saying;Rend us asunder, thou canst not divideOur bodies so, but that our souls are ty’d,And we can love by letters still and gifts,And thoughts and dreams; Love never wanteth shifts.Rejection of body is very special about this love where he says;Declare yourself base Fortunes enemy,No less by your contempt than constancy:That I may grow enamoured of your mind,When mind own thoughts I there reflected find.This increase of love is thought to be the victory of love against fortune. In the end hedeclares his constancy saying;Take therefore all in this: I love so true,As I will never look for less in you.So, here Donne praises spirituality under a wrapper of love that gives emphasis on sharingfeelings together, united souls and constancy of love. ‘Elegy: On His Mistresse’ is also apoem about the separation of two lovers who are afraid of the outer world. The lover,here, says to;Think it enough for me to have had thy love,Visibly it is a poem concerned about the lonely beloved and about preparing well beingfor beloved in absence of lover. But, Donne’s ‘Elegy: To His Mistresse Going To Bed’appears to be very frank in colloquial sensuality as it brings forth sexual language andinnuendoes;The foe oft-times having the foe in sight,Is tired with standing though they never fight.99This may have been the reason of this poem being banned from the 1633 edition. But itmust be noted that Donne assumes here, as elsewhere, that the language of sexual loveis not a special lovers’ language, rather, it includes any idea that comes to hand whethertaken from ordinary realities of daily life, or from wide range of his reading. Even in such apoem borrowed idea from the theology of Caluin is found. Caluin has argued that menare unable to win salvation through any merit of their own where a few get therighteousness or ‘grace’ of God or Jesus Christ as they are to be saved due to the‘imputed grace’ provided by the God. Here Donne suggests that no man can enjoy thecompany of woman but can only hope that the woman will impute to him her owninfinitely superior qualities and love him for them. Donne calls the activities of theprotagonist and the mistress as something where there is ‘no penance’ but ‘much lessinnocence’. Thus, the elegies clarify the spiritual ideas to bring morality before all in a verycomprehensive way.John Donne’s ‘Songs and Sonnets’ are product of different attitudes according to themood of the moment but in these poems Donne discovers his love philosophy to win overthe argument of superiority of body and soul in love. For, ‘The Flea’ the mood is certainly aromantic one though there is a logical trickery made by Donne. However the target forDonne’s trickery is audience if the dramatic situation, that of a man wining an argumentagainst a woman, is produced for the audience to find their own decision in this regard.Any debate competition can be won by pure and prolific logic but the ethical decision isthrown to every audience. It is surely the audience who is to take decision seeing thedebate. But, the mood in ‘The Good Morrow’ is for one newly in love who rejoices as thehttp://www.bdresearchpublications.com/journal/

Dipak Kumar Sarkar100love is reciprocated. Again, Donne celebrates the joy of true love in ‘The Sunne Rising’.Here, he depicts the picture of Sun being criticized by a lover. The lover is strong due to histrue love and so he has the strength to ‘eclipse and cloud them with a wink’. It is a superbappreciation of a reciprocated true love. But, Donne becomes doubtful in ‘Song: Go andCatch a Falling Star’ about finding a true woman. He says;If thou find’st one, let me know,Such a pilgrimage were sweet,Yet do not, I would not go,Though at next door we might meet,Though she were true, when you met her,And last, till you write your letter,Yet sheWill beFalse, ere I come, to two, or three.In spite of the doubt, shown in this poem, Donne is upset in ‘A Valediction: ForbiddenMourning’ as he has to get separated from his beloved for time being. Here, Donneadmits a new kind of love not a ‘Dull sublunary lovers’ love’ where the soul is the mainessence. He also says;But we by a love, so much refin’dThat ourselves know not what it is,Inter-assured of the mind,Careless, eyes, lips and hands to miss.Besides, the famous conceit of the Compass, used here by Donne, provides theassumption that both are true and the compasses will describe a circle, perfecting theirmovement in the symbol of infinity and eternity. Donne, thus, has proved that the perfectand complete love has no need of outward show. Even the absence of body is not agood reason to destroy a true love, as the main essence of a true love is soul. This view istaken forward in ‘The Extasie’ where Donne makes an addition to this view puttingemphasis on body too. Donne in ‘The Extasie’ says;But O alas, so long, so farOur bodies why do we forbear?They are ours , though they are not we, We areThe intelligences, they the sphere.Nevertheless, it is through a physical meeting that they know each other and for that theyshould be grateful. At this stage none can consider body worthless. So, Donne describes alove where there is a mixture of body and soul. The body, which is inferior, is madevaluable by the union with soul, which is the superior part of any being. About this Donnesays;As our blood labours to begetSpirits, as like souls as it can,Because such fingers need to knitThat subtle knot, which makes us man:This kind of love is worth to be called legend as they, both the lover and beloved, are‘mysterious by this love’ and can ‘die by it, if not live by love’. They and their love will be fitfor sonnets if not for chronicles. By these hymns all men will recognize that they have been‘canonized for love’. Future ages will ‘invoke’ them as lovers;Who did the whole worlds soule contract, and droveInto the glasses of your eyes(So made such mirrors, and such spies,That they did all to you epitomize,)Countries, Townes, Courts: Beg from aboveA patterne of your love!This notion of true love is upheld in ‘The Relique’ also where the lovers are capable ofmaking miracle possible. Due to this, their grave is ‘The Relique’ to be worshipped by thehttp://www.bdresearchpublications.com/journal/

John Donne, a Poetpeople. Thus, Donne brings his philosophy of love before us where there is true love isconcocted from sensuality and spirituality. So, after this discussion, it is unjust to call Donnea worshipper of body as he puts an emphasis on both giving soul and spirituality thedistinction of being superior at the time of love.‘Divine Poems’ are not the poems celebrating the moment of vision of the Ultimate Oneor not about the union of Donne with the Ultimate One, God, but these are poems,marked by an effort of his will, which are produced to examine and discipline his mind.After the death of his wife, Anne Moore, Donne seeks in religion for the sense of securityand completeness that she has been for him. That is why Donne in ‘Holy Sonnet-I’ says;Thou hast made me, and shall thy work decay?Repair me now, for now mine end doth haste;The ‘old subtle fore’ tempts him butThy Grace may wing me to prevent his art,And thou like Adamant draw mine iron heart.Donne’s another divine poem, ‘Oh My Blacke Soule’, is also a prayer for grace withoutwhich the poet cannot be truly repentant of his sins. Donne, here, brings theologicalparadox to say that only through God’s loving care, if freely given, the sinful human likehim can recognize to seek God’s forgiveness. The poem is thus concerned with the largequestions of free will that have been the center of religious controversy in that period. Asthe free will is brought in focus here, the death is unveiled in the same manner in ‘HolySonnet-X: Death Be Not Proud’. Donne addresses death denying its power. He also makesa list of what comprises the enslavement of death and says;And poppy or charms can make us sleep as wellAnd better than thy stroke;In the same way by the holy sonnet, ‘A Hyme to God the Father’ Donne brings thepossible sins, committed by men like him, before all. In this poem Donne talks about fivekinds of sins. About the first sin, he says;…that sin where I begun,Which was my sin, though it were done before?His second sin is the sin that he commits everyday. Though he tries to resist that sin, hecannot do so. Donne’s contempt about the religion is found when he thinks that enticingpeople to the then religious view is a sin. His fourth sin is the sin;…which I did shunA year or two, but wallow’d in,…And, finally with the utterance of fifth sin Donne conforms the possibility of grace toeveryone, as he thinks the doubt in getting God’s grace and God is itself a sin. The fear ofsin has turned into the sin of fear for Donne though the fear shows the possibility of free willand grace from God. These are not the only things that are matter of concern for Donne.But, Donne is concerned with Judgment Day also in the Holy Sonnets like, ‘This is My Play’sLast Scene’ and ‘At the Round Earth’s Imagin’d Corners’. Between these two poems, inthe first one Donne imagines himself in the deathbed preparing to meet the JudgmentDay but in the later one Donne imagines the Day of Judgment itself. All these arediscussed with a desire to get an intellectual rest woven with a need for the emotionalserenity. In ‘Holy Sonnet-XIV’ Donne cries out to God in the accents of love;Take me to you, imprison mee, for IExcept you’enthrall mee, never shall be free,Nor ever chast, except you ravish mee.This is the last wish of Donne where he seeks for God’s love and pity. Donne in ‘DivinePoems’ shows how one can prepare for the better after life with less sin, true relation,pleasant death and a reward after death. So it can be said that the Divine poems are not101http://www.bdresearchpublications.com/journal/

Dipak Kumar Sarkara good example to accuse Donne for sensuality, rather, these poems are his greatcreation for bringing discipline and sense of morality to all.John Donne in his poetry sets before all an ideal to discuss or analyze which finally helps tofind out what is the best for all though the spirit of the then writers has been a differentone. The first initiation comes from the scientists who try to establish that the earth and theother planets revolve in orbit around the sun. This has been an attempt to displace manfrom the center of creation both literary and metaphorically. As a result the new thoughtcomes in conflict with the traditional teaching of the church. Though the old theory seesthe sight of victory for a time being, it fails with the emergence of the great scientist,Galileo Galilei (1564-1642). Donne in this regard says that ‘new philosophy calls all indoubt’. The second step comes from the writings of Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527),which introduces science presently known as political science. Machiavelli simply ignoresthe fanciful topics, used by medieval theorists, as he tries to analyze the real nature ofpower in the states. As a step he produces ‘The Prince’ in 1513 which deals with the waysby which political power can be won and held without regard to the question of divinepurpose. In chapter-15 he explains clearly that his intension is to present things as theyreally are in fact. It is this scientific spirit that Francis Bacon applauds when he writes, in1623, that we all are indebted to Machiavelli and other writers of that class who openlyand unfeignedly describe what men do and not what men ought to do. Bacon arguesthat soundly based scientific knowledge will lead to technical mastery over the world ofnature. Many of his contemporaries have been less optimistic about his new thought andhave been anxious about the change. The fullest expression of this can be found in manydramatists of that time. William Shakespeare, in particular, has been preoccupied with asense of discrepancy between what men do and what they ought to do’. In ‘Troilus andCressida’ Shakespeare provides a profound illustration of this new skepticism. Donne doesnot offer any new skepticism but he takes the reader to that situation with his brilliantpower of imagery to discover the truth and the right one with the taste of reality. In ‘TheApparition’ Donne creates a situation by means of imagery where a lover threatens tohave revenge as the beloved has rejected him. Here, Donne takes the readers to thebeloved’s room where he, in future though, is going to be present as a ghost. And, therethe beloved has been seen sleeping in the arms of another man. Donne says;Then shall my ghost come to your bed,And thee, feign’d vestal, in worse arms shall see;This lady who has rejected the lover on the issue of losing virginity, is found having pleasureof adultery. So, the stage is set, and the drama is played. Now it is the turn of the readersto decide which the right one is. But, at last Donne takes the lover back keeping theemotion and thought in readers’ mind saying;I had rather thou shouldst painfully repent,Than by my threatenings rest still innocent.It is the desire of Donne in ‘The Flea” too where he sets a dramatic situation of a saucylover appealing for sexual pleasure too his beloved who rejects him. In ‘ A Hymn to GodThe Father’ Donne by the discussion on sins shows the options, which are to follow, andwhich are to be avoided. Sincerity of poet’s feeling can be found in ‘Oh My Blacke Soule’which shows poet’s agony and sense of guilt with his willingness to pray for the debt of sinsthrough repentance and suffering. It is a struggle to make a truth appropriate, which doesnot defeat all poetry but gives us a poetry whose intensity is a moral one. Moreover inpoems like, ‘The Anniversary’, ‘A Valediction: Forbidden Mourning’, ‘The Extasie’ and soon the main character is Donne and thus he makes experiment on himself. Donne onlyshares the options or the outcomes that are to be or can be followed. Donne does notplay the role of a school teacher to lead the innocent school students to the right path byadvice or punishment, rather, he discusses all the sides of a coin and brings the real coinbefore the audience who themselves can choose the right one. In this way, Donne wishesthe active participation of the audience, as the audiences are to decide and take theright way to uphold the morality.It is not that the sexual or bodily apprehensions are totally absent in Donne but the desireto uphold the morality or spirituality dominates him more. The discovery of right andperfect relationship between men and women, soul and God are crucial steps in the102http://www.bdresearchpublications.com/journal/

John Donne, a Poetsearch of the truth. At first Donne seems to have responded to the excitements of the city,London in 1590’s, as he is found to be a great visitor of ladies, a great frequenter of plays,a great writer of conceited verses. This is the picture of Donne in his earlier life where herepresents a brilliant young man of town, as has been confirmed by Richard Baker, abiographer. But, in the latter part of his life, he has produced the most brilliant of his poemsthat becomes moral in theme. Donne’s marriage with Anne Moore brings him face toface with the problems and difficulties of real life. That situation is summed up in a punningepigram: John Donne, Anne Donne, undone. This marriage also helps Donne to find thereal meaning of love where he finds both body and soul important. This helps to definethe relation between men and women. After the death of his wife, Anne Donne, Donne isseen to be engrossed with his unresolved religious position and the death, itself. He findsthe peace in the discussion of death, soul, God and ultimately wishes to seek true religion.In this way Donne’s poetry is a journey from the excitements of earthly life to theenlightenment of the soul. That is why Donne is a poet more of spirituality than sensuality.ReferencesAbrams, M.H. (1998). A Glossary of Literary Terms. Wordsworth PublishingBennett, J. (1984). Five Metaphysical Poets. Great Britain: CambridgeBush, D. (1963) English Literature in the Earlier Seventeenth Century. N. York: OxfordCookson, L and Loughrey, B. (1990). The Metaphysical Poets. Great Britain: LongmanEmden, J.V. (2005). The Metaphysical Poets. India: Replica Press Pvt. Ltd., KundliEliot, T. S. (1953). Selected Prose. U.K: Harmonds worthFerguson, Salter, and Stallworthy. (1996). The Norton Anthology of Poetry. United States ofAmerica: W.W. Norton & CompanyGardner, H. (1965). John Donne: The Elegies and the Songs and Sonnets. United States ofAmerica: OxfordGardner, H. (1962). John Donne, A Collection of Critical Essays. United States of America:Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, N.J.Handley, G. (1991). The Metaphysical Poets. Great Britain: Macmillan PressLovelock, J. (1973).Donne: Songs and Sonets. Great Britain: Macmillan Press.Lewis, C. S. (1964). The Discarded Image. New York: CambridgeMallett, P. (2001). John Donne, Selected Poems. India: Pearson Education (Singapore) Pte.Ltd, India Branch, 482 F.I.E. Patparganj, Delhi-110092, IndiaStephen, M . (2000). English Literature, a student guide. England: Pearson EducationLimitedRedpath, T. (1956). The Songs and Sonets of John Donne. Great Britain: Cambridge103http://www.bdresearchpublications.com/journal/