John Donne as a Metaphysical Poet

John Donne is one of the most intellectual literary figures in English literature. He was regarded and honoured as an intellectual giant of his age. He was an original thinker and his poetry set new trends and won for him the most distinguishing and extra ordinary title of metaphysical poet. He was the central sun of the little constellation of metaphysical poets and Cowley, Herbert, Vaughan, Dante and many others revolved around him like minor stars. He led an unprecedented revolt against the old Petrarchan traditions.

It is an established and undeniable fact that Renaissance (the gradual enlightenment of human mind and thought after the darkness of Middle Ages) had influenced the Elizabethan poetry to a great extent but John Donne’s works are quite different from the traditional works of the poets of his time. Hence, he revolted against the conventional poetic devices and drew original, far-fetched, uncommon and untouched conceits and images to show that he was against the Petrarchan traditions. His love poems and divine poems are rich in metaphysical elements therefore, he is liked and appreciated as a great love poet and divine poet.

It was John Dryden who, for the very first time, opined that the works of John Donne and Cowley should readily be entitled as Metaphysical poetry. Later on, Dr. Samuel Johnson repeated the same title for John Donne, Herbert and Vaughan but in a contemptuous sense.

Before proceeding the discussion, it seems to be quite appropriate and suitable to define and explain the term ‘Metaphysical’. Metaphysical means beyond physic.

Different critics exerted their mind came out with divergent definitions of metaphysical poetry. Although the definitions are quite different from one another yet they have reached near the truth.

R. S. Hillyer is of the view that it means difficult, philosophical, obscure, erudite, supercilious and pedantic show of strange knowledge. Dr. Johnson has recognized the following peculiarities of the metaphysical poetry.

1. Metaphysical poetry is the pedantic exhibition of strange and philosophic knowledge of the poets. It contains obscure ideas, far-fetched conceits and untouched metaphors.
2. Metaphysical poets are very fond of analysis of feelings and passions.
3. They try to the fullest extent to dissect the human emotions.
4. Metaphysical poetry is meant to eyes and not to ears.

John Donne took poetry to the Alpine peak and the heights reached by him could not be kept by the later poets. His poetic works are replete with such examples and instances as are quite enough to prove that he was a metaphysical poet in the true sense of word. His conceits and images make his poetry interesting and win the applause of the readers.

In one of his widely read and mostly appreciated poem ‘Good Morrow’, he uses a couple of conceits and images to ask his beloved;

 

“I wonder, by my troth, what thou and I

Did, till we loved? Were we not weaned till then?

But sucked on country pleasures, childishly?

Or snorted we in the Seven Sleepers’ den?”

 

John Donne’s greatest merit lies in the fact that he presents a curious combination of passion and thought. He stirs the emotions and passions of the readers but at the same satisfies their intellectual curiosity. In ‘Good Morrow’, he says that they love each other with equal intensity and thus they will never die. His use of the image of hemisphere is enough to appease and convince the readers.

The ’Sun Rising’ is another remarkable poem in which the poet uses wonderful images and startling conceits. He addresses the sun and forbids him to peep through the window curtains. He advises the sun not to disturb the lovers and asks bluntly;

 

“Must to thy motions lovers’ seasons run,

Why shouldest thou thinkest so?”

 

Later, in the end, he tags a fantastic couple of conceit and image in a single verse;

 

“She is all states and all princes I,

Nothing else is!”

 

In another poem, he says that lover and beloved are like two legs of a compass. So, his beloved should not bother about their physical separation because they are connected to each other at a central point. In ‘A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning’, he tries to convince his beloved (who asserts that their two souls are not one) through a startling conceit;

 

“If they are two they are two so,

As stiff twin compasses are two,

Thy soul the fix’t foot, makes no show,

To move but doth if the other do.”

 

The whole discussion enables us to conclude that John Donne was a great metaphysical poet of his time. His conceits and images are enough to prove that he is unprecedented.