John Donne as a Religious Poet

John Donne was a great, extra ordinary and outstanding literary figure of Renaissance period who inked marvelous poems containing conceits and images which mark his poems as Metaphysical poetry. He was an original thinker who disdained and disliked the old Petrarchan traditions and Elizabethan conceits. His use of startling conceits and images is enough to regard him as a great love poet and divine poet.

He wrote religious poetry which are termed as ‘Divine Poems’. He proved his metal in both the fields and left an impressive mark on the face English literature. He created some of evergreen and everlasting pieces of poetry which have been being read for a long time and would be read in future as well. Before discussing the salient features and facets of Donne’s divine poems, let us acquaint ourselves with Donne’s religious background.

John Donne was a Catholic and he was persecuted and humbled just like other Catholics. Then he embraced Anglican church. In his days, religion was a matter of accident. But he was of the opinion that religion should be a matter of deliberate choice. Hence, there are two notes in Donne’s religious poems – the Catholic and the Anglican. When he was a Catholic, he advocated Catholic church and when he embraced Anglican church (Church of England), he began to advocate Anglicanism. It means that he could present his religious ideas in a forceful, elaborate and convincing manner. His belief in both the sects played a role of vital significance in his divine poems in which he presented far-fetched conceits and images which distinguish him as a metaphysical poet. His religious poems often describe the miseries of a captivated soul;

“I, like an usurp'd town to another due,

Labor to admit You, but oh, to no end.” 

He wrote religious poems in order to express his own feelings. He prayed to God to forgive him for his sins, petty tasks and undesirable acts. He neither compelled the evil doers to adopt the right path nor advised the sinners and not even idealized the pious people. Rather, he expressed his own repentance and regret. In one of his ‘Holly Sonnets’ he implores to God;

“Teach me how to repent; for that's as good

As if Thou hadst seal'd my pardon with Thy blood.”

John Donne has composed religious poems and divine poems with same competence. His divine poems are thematically different from the love poems but they both show the poet’s passions and emotions and there are many things common to both. Love poems show intensity his love for the beloved and divine poems show the same for his Creator.

He uses such conceits as dazzle the mind of the readers but they get satisfied with the use of that rare comparison when the particular conceit develops its deep relation with the context of the poem. His far-fetched, startling and appalling conceits have been a subject of discussion among the critics and they have liked, praised and appreciated them for their uniqueness. His conceits make his verses more effective and charming.

“Thy Grace may wing me to prevent his art,

And Thou like adamant draw mine iron heart.” 

John Donne was a sceptic type of a person. He had doubts about the religious dogmas. He had a conflict in his mind. Though he had embraced the Anglican church but still the doubts were there. He was not in a position to resolve this conflict and confusion as such he prayed for God’s mercy.

He took poetry to Alpine peak and heights reached by him could not be kept by the later poets. He is the central sun of the little constellation of metaphysical poets and Cowley, Herbert, Vaughan and Dante revolve around him like minor stars. His poetry keeps the readers engrossed and absorbed in the depth of meaning and they feel riveted to his masterpieces.

We can sum up the whole discussion in the words that John Donne was surely, essentially and necessarily a great religious poet who expressed his own feelings of love for his God and showed repentance over his sins. He begs pardon for his wrong doings and seeks his Creator’s Grace. Metaphysical elements make his poetry more charming, attractive, delightful and worth reading.