Metaphysical poetry

  Hello Readers, 

       In this blog I shall give you the general characteristics of metaphysical poetry, and five selected poem from well known poems. so let's begin. 

 General characteristics of metaphysical poem :-

    

            According to Dr. Johnson " Argument and persuasion, and the use of the conceit as their instrument or body of a metaphysical poem " 

   A group of poets emerged in the second half of the 16th century, whose poetry is identify as the metaphysical poetry. it was Dr. Samuel Johnson- a classicist of the neo-classical age who named the poetry of John Donne and his school as- The Metaphysical poetry. Johnson used this term while writing about the life of Abraham Cowley in his biographical work with the title ' The Lives Of The Most Eminent English Poets' (1779-81). Dr. Johnson wanted to criticize the poetry of Donne and his followers by using the term ' Metaphysical Poetry'. But within passing of time the same term became the term of appraisal for their poetry. Dr. Johnson has passed on remarkable comment saying that " The poetry of the metaphysical poets stood a trial of their finger but failed in trail of the ears." What Dr. Johnson wants to say that their is no music and rhythm in their poetry.

According to Dr. Johnson 

       The metaphysical poets were men of learning, and, to show their learning was their whole endeavour; but, unluckily resolving to show it in rhyme, instead of writing poetry, they only wrote verses, and, very often, such verses as stood the trial of the finger better than of the ear; for the modulation was so imperfect, that they were only found to be verses by counting the syllables... The most heterogeneous ideas are yoked by violence together; nature and art are ransacked for illustrations, comparisons, and allusions; their learning instructs, and their subtilty surprises; but the reader commonly thinks his improvement dearly bought, and, though he sometimes admires, is seldom pleased 

        The metaphysical- John Donne, George Herbert, Richard Crashaw and Andrew Marvell made a conscious attempt to differ from others and particularly from of the previous poets so that their poetry may be noticed by the readers. One critic Helen C. White mentions that it was the demand of the time for the metaphysical to differ from the poets of previous age. Had they continue writing the poetry in the same manner; just like the former poets, their poetry would have been rejected by the readers. Due to new learning and reformation of the Elizabethan age, the intellectual level of the reader had gone upward and so the metaphysical poets tried to be intellectual in the writing of their poetry. 

        The best way for the metaphysical to differs from the previous poets and to be intellectual in the writing of their poetry was to used far-fetched images and conceits. They tried to avoid using using images from those fields which thickly associate with the theme of their poetry.

   

         In order to express either love or their faith in Christianity they brought their images from different field just like biology, agriculture, engineering, architecture, geography, geometry and even political science. This gave unique identity to their poetry. The number of example can be given about how they brought images from distant and remote fields. The first example is of John Donne who made use of a biological image-the Flea, for the express of love in his poem. The title of that poem is ' The Flea '. George Herbert made use of an image from the field of mechanical engineering for the expression of his faith in Christianity. The example is a poem with the title ' The Pully '. Pully is an image of mechanical engineering but in this poem that image is used to stat that restlessness is also a pully which gives a connection between the creator and the creation. Andrew Marvell made use of geometrical images for the expression of love. The example is ' The His Coy Mistress' in brief all the metaphysical poets made extensive use far-fetched images in their poetry.

        Highlighting one remarkable feature of the metaphysical poetry Dr. Johnson says that "their poetry stood a trial of their finger but not of the ear" that means that their is no music in the poetry of metaphysical poet's wrote, their is no rhythm to be found in the poetry of the metaphysical poets. 

- FIVE MOST IMPORTANT METAPHYSICAL POEMS :

1. Death Be Not Proud 

2. The Flea 

3. The Sun Rising - by John Donne 

4. The Collar - by George Herbert 

5. To His Coy Mistress - by Andrew Marvell 

 So let's discuss the summary of these particular poem and some important notes:

1. Death Be No Proud by John Donne 

                           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.

   Summary of the poem 

' Death Be Not Proud ' is a well-known holy sonnet by John Donn. This sonnet is addressed by the poet to death itself. The aim of the poet behind writing this sonnet is to nullify the fear of the death. The poet has present altogether a different picture of death in the present sonnet.

The sonnet opens with the poet's instruction to the death that their is no need for the death to be proud of anything. Of course their are people who consider death might and dangerous but the poet believes that the death is neither mighty nor dangerous. Death believes that it has capacity to kill the people but the poet is of opinion that death is neither mighty nor dangerous. It has no capacity to kill anybody. If the poet is asked to draw a picture of death, the poet draw the picture of a man enjoying sound sleep and talking rest. If death offer rest and sound sleep to the people pleasure should be derived out of death and nobody should be afraid of death.

The poet give one example to nullify the fear of death. Even the best of human beings have gone with death the soonest. One can give a number of example to prove that the best of people go with death without getting disturb and many of them gone the soonest. WE can give the example of Keats and Kalapi, who left this world very soon.

According to the poet the death is the salve of four elements. Those four elements are fate, chance, kings and man in distress. The meaning is death comes to a person only when man is decided by fate or chance or king or a man in distress. Their are three residential place for death to live, those place are poison, war and sickness. The meaning is who show ever invites sickness or poison or war, such a person invites the death. Death always live in poison, war and sickness. The poet finds one remarkable difference between how death cause sleep and how sleep is cause by a mother. Death cause a sleep in a sudden stroke but mother's charms and her motherly affection cause a sleep very slowly and gently.

The poet conclude this poem/sonnet by saying that death is nothing more than a short sleep. After one short sleep we wake up eternally and this statement of John Donne. It indicates that Donne believe in theory of rebirth. If the treated in dis-manner, nobody will be afraid of death. This is the end of poem when Donne convey the reader that death itself will die because nobody will be afraid of death. 

 Glossary and Notes 

1.From rest and sleep....must flow : Rest and sleep are "picture" or images of the.  

2. And sooner our best men with thee dog goe : Either that the best men die young, or that the best men are most willing or part with their lives.

3. Slave to : You are used to be exploited by.

4. Poppie, or charmes : Poppy is a soporific.. charm refers to other sleep-including drugs.

5. Swell'st : why do you puff up with pride ?

 

 2.The Flea by John Donne 

Mark but this flea, and mark in this,   

How little that which thou deniest me is;   

It sucked me first, and now sucks thee,

And in this flea our two bloods mingled be;   

Thou know’st that this cannot be said

A sin, nor shame, nor loss of maidenhead,

    Yet this enjoys before it woo,

    And pampered swells with one blood made of two,

    And this, alas, is more than we would do.

Oh stay, three lives in one flea spare,

Where we almost, nay more than married are.   

This flea is you and I, and this

Our marriage bed, and marriage temple is;   

Though parents grudge, and you, w'are met,   

And cloistered in these living walls of jet.

    Though use make you apt to kill me,

    Let not to that, self-murder added be,

    And sacrilege, three sins in killing three.

Cruel and sudden, hast thou since

Purpled thy nail, in blood of innocence?   

Wherein could this flea guilty be,

Except in that drop which it sucked from thee?   

Yet thou triumph’st, and say'st that thou   

Find’st not thy self, nor me the weaker now;

    ’Tis true; then learn how false, fears be:

    Just so much honor, when thou yield’st to me,

    Will waste, as this flea’s death took life from thee.

 The summary of the poem 

' The Flea ' by John Donne is the metaphysical poem in areal sense of the term. The poet uses the biological image of the flea in order to impress his love to his beloved. The flea is a small insect which survives by sucking blood of the animals. it is very tiny in size. The biographical image of this insect is taken help of by the poet for the expression of his love to hos beloved. 

The poem is address by the poet- the lover to his beloved. The lover asks his beloved to see that flea which has sucked her blood and now it is also sucked his blood. The poet wants to convey that whatever was denied by her, that has already happened. They blood become one and yet it has not cause any sin or shame, it has not even caused the loss of honour and her maidenhood. The poet wants to convey her that whatever she disliked, has happened through the flea. That insect is swelling which reflects it's happiness. If she allows him to advance, that would multiply their happiness. 

Listening to such an argument of the lover, his beloved makes an attempt to kill that insect. The lover request her not to kill that insect because killing that insect would be as good as killing three lives. Since their bloods are in that flea it would be his death, herself murder and also the murder of that insect. The lover requests her not to commit such a sin by killing that insect.

 The lover wants her to realized that though their bloods have mingled it has neither reduced her honour nor it has brought the sense of shame to her. The lovers believe that her parents and she herself grudge of her lover. She kills that insect and purples her nail with the blood of that insect. The death of that flea has neither taken life of the lover nor of his beloved. He wants to learn or realize to her that all fear of her are false. If she is agree his proposal and accept it, their is no less of honour at all. On the contrary accepting him as her soulmates would give additional honour to that lady.

The flea becomes a metaphysical poem as in the present poem the poet depends upon the image of flea to deal with the theme of love. Trough th image of insect poet wants to describe love. 

  Glossary and Notes 

    1. Marke..Marke: The repetition of the word gives an objective, meditative air to what or essentially  a poem of seduction.

2. cloysterd : Place of religious seclusion 

3. Jet : Black 

4. Use : habit 

5. sacrilrege : refer Murder 

3. The Sun Rising by John Donne 

Busy old fool, unruly sun,

               Why dost thou thus,

Through windows, and through curtains call on us?

Must to thy motions lovers' seasons run?

               Saucy pedantic wretch, go chide

               Late school boys and sour prentices,

         Go tell court huntsmen that the king will ride,

         Call country ants to harvest offices,

Love, all alike, no season knows nor clime,

Nor hours, days, months, which are the rags of time.

Thy beams, so reverend and strong

               Why shouldst thou think?

I could eclipse and cloud them with a wink,

But that I would not lose her sight so long;

               If her eyes have not blinded thine,

               Look, and tomorrow late, tell me,

         Whether both th' Indias of spice and mine

         Be where thou leftst them, or lie here with me.

Ask for those kings whom thou saw'st yesterday,

And thou shalt hear, All here in one bed lay.

She's all states, and all princes, I,

               Nothing else is.

Princes do but play us; compared to this,

All honor's mimic, all wealth alchemy.

               Thou, sun, art half as happy as we,

               In that the world's contracted thus.

         Thine age asks ease, and since thy duties be

         To warm the world, that's done in warming us.

Shine here to us, and thou art everywhere;

This bed thy center is, these walls, thy sphere.

The summary of the poem 

 ' The Sun Rising ' by John Donne is am ideal example of the use of the metaphysical image to deal with the theme of love. John Donne employs the image of raising sun for dealing with the theme of love. The raising sun is image which is generally used for expression of anew hope and optimism but John Donne employs this image for dealing with theme of love. The poem is address to the raising sun and the tone of the poet is to criticize  the raising sun. The raising sun generally welcome by the people but here in the present poem. The lover is unhappy with raising sun and he rebukes the raising sun.

The poem opens with the lovers addressed to the raising sun in which he criticize the sun calling the sun, ' busy old fool, unruly, sun'. According to the lover the sun is always busy because every morning the sun rises and every evening it sets. The sun is unruly in a sense that it peeps through the windows and curtain in to the bedroom of the lover and his beloved. The lover makes it clear to the raising sun that the lifestyle of the lovers can not be controlled or regulated through the movement of the sun. Lovers have their own way of life and the sun can not have command over it. The lover advises the raising sun to go and show its power on late school children, workers, employs of the king and courtiers of the king. They will regulate their life as per the movement of the sun. Lovers have their own way of life and they do not accept the command of the sun on their way of life. The lovers are beyond the session and the atmosphere created by the sun. The lovers have nothing to do with different units of time just like moment, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years. The lover make it clear to the raising sun that sun raising can not command the life of the lovers.

Going ahead  the lovers has some some remarks to pass on the raising sun. The sun should never think and believe that its rise are very powerful. The lover can cause and eclipses within a moment by closing his eyes but he does not want to do that because even for a moment he can not afford losing the site of his beloved. The lover believes that the eyes of his beloved have enough shine to blind the sun. He suggests the rising sun to take a round of the earth and to come the next morning with a realization that the India of spices and all other precious things are in his bedroom, in the form of his beloved.

Extending his address to the raising sun, the lover informs the sun that his beloved is the central pf the universe. She is all stats, all princess and all kings. Those kings and princess do nothing but imitate the lover, all honor is fake and all wealth is nothing but chemistry- metal, His beloved is the center of the universe. The lover goes up to the extent of saying that the sun is not half so-happy as the lover and his beloved are happy. Since his beloved the center of the universe, the lover tells the sun to shine their, to give light their and to give warmth their. It would be as good as giving light, shine and warmth everywhere. He wants the raising sun to believe and accept that the bed is the sun's center and four walls of that room is the sphere for the sun.

In the present poem the attempt made by John Donne is to universalize the great emotion of love. If the love is their in the life, all happiness is their and all happiness is futile if their is no love. The raising sun treats here in a negative tone here to sharpen the theme of love.

    Glossary and Notes  

1. pedantique : Shcoolmaster

2. prentices : apprentices 

3. alchimie : Medieval pseudo- science that sought to turn base mentals into gold. 

4. Sphere : Orbit 

4. To His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvel

 

 Had we but world enough and time 

oyness, lady, were no crime.

We would sit down, and think which way

To walk, and pass our long love’s day.

Thou by the Indian Ganges’ side

Shouldst rubies find; I by the tide

Of Humber would complain. I would

Love you ten years before the flood,

And you should, if you please, refuse

Till the conversion of the Jews.

My vegetable love should grow

Vaster than empires and more slow;

An hundred years should go to praise

Thine eyes, and on thy forehead gaze;

Two hundred to adore each breast,

But thirty thousand to the rest;

An age at least to every part,

And the last age should show your heart.

For, lady, you deserve this state,

Nor would I love at lower rate.

 But at my back I always hear

Time’s wingèd chariot hurrying near;

And yonder all before us lie

Deserts of vast eternity.

Thy beauty shall no more be found;

Nor, in thy marble vault, shall sound

My echoing song; then worms shall try

That long-preserved virginity,

And your quaint honour turn to dust,

And into ashes all my lust;

The grave’s a fine and private place,

But none, I think, do there embrace.

       Now therefore, while the youthful hue

Sits on thy skin like morning dew,

And while thy willing soul transpires

At every pore with instant fires,

Now let us sport us while we may,

And now, like amorous birds of prey,

Rather at once our time devour

Than languish in his slow-chapped power.

Let us roll all our strength and all

Our sweetness up into one ball,

And tear our pleasures with rough strife

Through the iron gates of life:

Thus, though we cannot make our sun

Stand still, yet we will make him run.

 

\The summary of the poem 

' To His Coy Mistress' is a poem with metaphysical conceit and it proves Andrew Marvell real follower of the school of John Donne. Marvell has made here use of an image from the field of agriculture for the expression of love. The present poem deals with the theme of love but the image that he used here is from the field of agriculture.

 

The poem is addressed by a lover to his beloved.  She is very coy and shy and lover tries to convince her that since they do not have enough time, She should not be shy. The lover considers her shyness a crime because within limited time and space they have to love each other. The lover gives an account of how he would have loved her, praised her, had he enough time and space but the lover knows that they have either enough time nor space to express love. It is within limited time of youth that they have to live and so he suggests her not to be coy.

 

The lover describes in detail how he would loved her had he enough time and space. He would have continued expressing his love for ten long years and he would have objected even if the lady would have said to his shyness. He would have spend in praising her each breast. For the remaining of her body, he would used thirty thousand years to praise. He believes that his beloved deserves this kind of honor. 

 

The lover would like to pass time very peacefully in her company but the time is different. He hears every movement the winged chariot of the time approaching very fast towards them. It refers to death. The lover knows that none can escape from the clutch of time and so he request her beloved tp accept his love without being coy and shy.

 

Once they die, they will be mingle with dust and live in their grave. No doubt grave is a private and peaceful place but they go, they will never be able to express love. his song will never get effect of echo. At present his love is responded by her but once they go to grave, their will be no respond from her side.

 

The lover tries to convey her that the span of youth is as short as the life of a due drop on the petal of a flower right now when both are passing through prime time of youth, she should not be shy, coy and reject his love. Since they are passing through this of youth, they should utilize is before it is too late. The poem ends with a request of a lover that both should make their time a quality  time by responding to love of each other. It is not possible for them to stop the movement of the sun but at least they can make their time a quality time.

  Glossary and Notes  

1. last Age : The millennium 

2. quaint : dainty 

3. hew : complexion 

4. Thorough :Through 

5. the iron gates of life : this metaphor implying the soul's imprisonment in the body and the exit the soul takes at the moment of death. 

  

 

5. The collar by George Herbert 

I struck the board, and cried, "No more;

                         I will abroad!

What? shall I ever sigh and pine?

My lines and life are free, free as the road,

Loose as the wind, as large as store.

          Shall I be still in suit?

Have I no harvest but a thorn

To let me blood, and not restore

What I have lost with cordial fruit?

          Sure there was wine

Before my sighs did dry it; there was corn

    Before my tears did drown it.

      Is the year only lost to me?

          Have I no bays to crown it,

No flowers, no garlands gay? All blasted?

                  All wasted?

Not so, my heart; but there is fruit,

            And thou hast hands.

Recover all thy sigh-blown age

On double pleasures: leave thy cold dispute

Of what is fit and not. Forsake thy cage,

             Thy rope of sands,

Which petty thoughts have made, and made to thee

Good cable, to enforce and draw,

          And be thy law,

While thou didst wink and wouldst not see.

          Away! take heed;

          I will abroad.

Call in thy death's-head there; tie up thy fears;

          He that forbears

         To suit and serve his need

          Deserves his load."

But as I raved and grew more fierce and wild

          At every word,

Methought I heard one calling, Child!

          And I replied My Lord.

  The summary of the poem 

George Herbert is also one of the member of the school of Donne , just like Andrew Marvell. The title of the collection of George Herbert's poetry is ' The Temple '. He wrote his poem to serve Christianity and ' The Collar ' is an example of it.

The poem is address by a sinner and two selves of that sinner are at war with each other. The poem is sound like monologue as the sinner speaks on behalf of his heart and also on behalf of his desire to life freely. The word 'collar' means yoke. So far the yoke of the sinner was bent towards the life of material pleasure but now it is shifting towards Christianity. The sinner has came across the board, and that is enough to inspire him to leave the life of material pleasure.

The sinner is now is now no more willing to life of sigh and suffering. He feels that he is free to take any path given to him by his conscious. His desire is tp restore but now he wants to have some good harvest of some good deeds so that he can be restored. He wants to have the flowers and garland and so he would like to do good deeds.

When the heart of the sinner speak in this manner. It is responded by his not ready to be bound by anything the request of the heart is responded negatively by the desire for life. His free will warns the sinner to forget cold dispute about what is good and what is not good. The free will instigates the singer to live life freely by neglecting the cage of what is good and what is not good. The free will tells the sinner, into ' be thy lock' the heart of the sinner tells the sinner to follow law and the will of the sinner tells the sinner to neglect all laws.

The sinner in the present poem is now firm as he would like listen to his lord and not to free will. The sinner now knows, 'he that forebears to suit and sure his need, deserves his load.' Simply experiences someone calling him, 'child'. The sinner gives a reply, ' My Lord ' , The final decision of sinner in the present poem is to surrender to god and part with the life of material pleasure.

 

Conclusion :- 

 

To summing up all the things we can say that the term metaphysical poem is not only concern about religious poetry but also with theme of love. It was Dr. Johnson who introduced us this term.

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