Lecture FiveLecture Five

Metaphysical poetry & Metaphysical poetry & John Donne (1572-1631)John Donne (1572-1631)

Terms The metaphysical poetry is commonly used to name the work of the 17th century writers who wrote under the influence of John Donne. 

John Donne(1572-1631) is noted for his excellent love poetry, religious verse and sermons. As one of the most important poets of the Renaissance, he is also the leading figure of the “metaphysical school”. With a rebellious spirit, Donne broke away from the "decorative and flowery" verse that characterized most poetry during the Elizabethan period to develop his own unique style.

Characteristics of metaphysical writers

Theme: they wrote on a variety of religious and secular themes. The poems reflect a broad knowledge of science, art and other branches of learning and express common human feelings such as jealousy, the loss of religious faith, the complexities and the fear of death. 

Rhetorical devices: they used conceits and paradox.

The finest of metaphysical poets combined intellectual subtlety with great emotional power.

Paradox:( 似是而非的隽语，悖论，似矛盾而可能正确的说法 ) is a figure of speech consisting of a statement which seems self-contradictory, absurd or contrary to an established fact or practice, but on further thinking and study may prove to be true, well-founded, and even to contain a succinct( 简洁的 ) point.

Example 1: Juliet: My only love sprung from my only hate. 我仅有的爱来源于我仅有的恨

2. This suspense is terrible. I hope it will last (Oscar Wilde) 这种悬念实在是让人受不了，我希望他能继续下去。

3. Death, thou shalt die.

A conceit( 别出心裁或不着边际的比喻 ) is a combination of thoughts or images that are not usually associated with one another. In general, a metaphysical conceit will use some sort of shocking or unusual comparison as the basis for the metaphor. When it works, a metaphysical conceit has a startling appropriateness that makes us look at things from an entirely new perspective. The classic metaphysical conceit is Donne’s comparison of the union between the two lovers to the two legs of a compass in “A Valediction Forbidding Morning”.

Characteristics of Donne’s poems

1. the most striking feature of Donne‘s poetry is precisely its tang (characteristic) of reality in the sense that seems to reflect life in a real rather than a poetical world.

2. Donne’s language is subtle, 2. Donne’s language is subtle, complex, and often startling. Besides complex, and often startling. Besides allusions, he frequently applies wild allusions, he frequently applies wild conceitsconceits, i.e. extended, fanciful , i.e. extended, fanciful metaphors that make a surprising or metaphors that make a surprising or unexpected comparison and unexpected comparison and Paradox, Paradox, self-contradiction that self-contradiction that reveals a kind of truth. His conceits reveals a kind of truth. His conceits may be divided into two kinds: easy may be divided into two kinds: easy ones and difficult ones. By combining ones and difficult ones. By combining the easy conceits with the difficult the easy conceits with the difficult ones, Donne achieves surprisingly ones, Donne achieves surprisingly good effects in his poetry. good effects in his poetry.

3. Donne's poetry involves a certain kind of argument( 玄思冥想，热衷思辨 ), sometimes in rigid syllogistic form . 三段论法

Death be not proud, though some have called thee 　　 Mighty and dreadful, for, thou art not so, 　　 For, those, whom thou think'st, thou dost overthrow, 　　 Die not, poor death, nor yet canst thou kill me ； 　　 From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be, 　　 Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flow, 　　 And soonest our best men with thee do go, 　　 Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery. 　　 Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men, 　　 And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell, 　　 And poppy, or charms can make us sleep as well, 　　 And better than thy stroke ； why swell'st thou then ？ 　　 One short sleep past, we wake eternally, 　　 And death shall be no more ； Death, thou shalt die.

死神，你莫骄傲 　　死神，你莫骄傲，尽管有人说你 　　如何强大，如何可怕，你并不是这样； 　　你以为你把谁谁谁打倒了，其实， 　　可怜的死神，他们没死；你现在也还杀不死我。 　　休息、睡眠，这些不过是你的写照， 　　既能给人享受，那你本人提供的一定更多； 　　我们最美好的人随你去得越早， 　　越能早日获得身体的休息，灵魂的解脱。 　　你是命运、机会、君主、亡命徒的奴隶， 　　你和毒药、战争、疾病同住在一起， 　　罂粟和咒符和你的打击相比，同样， 　　甚至更能催我入睡；那你何必趾高气扬呢？ 　　睡了一小觉之后，我们便永远觉醒了， 　　再也不会有死亡，你死神也将死去。

Theme

This is one of Donne’s 19 holy sonnets, which were believed to have been written before his ordination. The poem reveals his belief in life after death. Here death is compared to a short sleep. Death is but momentary while happiness after death is eternal. But this religious idea is curiously expressed in the author’s supposed dialogue with “death”, as various reasons are given in the poem to argue against the common belief in death as “mighty and dreadful” .In this way the sonnet was a typical work of the school of metaphysical poetry.

诗人在诗中首先提出死亡并不像人们通常想象的那么强大，因为那些被认为死去的人其实并没有死；继而，诗人又提出死亡并不可怕，因为睡眠和梦境就是死亡的画像；既然人们能从睡眠和梦境中获得许多快乐，那在死亡中能获得的快乐就一定更多。接着，诗人说，死亡向来和战争、疾病、毒药同居一处，又质问死神，鸦片和幻药也能让人睡去，而且入睡过程十分轻松愉悦，死亡有什么值得骄傲的地方。最后诗人宣告，死亡自己也必定会死去。

Form

This simple sonnet follows an ABBAABBA CDCDEE rhyme scheme and is written in a loose iambic pentameter. In its structural division of its subject, it is a Petrarchan sonnet rather than a Shakespearean one, with an octet establishing the poem’s tension, and the subsequent sestet resolving it.