cal poet.
Or, discuss John Donne as a metaphysical poet with reference to his poem “The Canonization.”
Or, trace the metaphysical qualities in Donne’s poem “The Canonization.”
Or, show how Donne’s treatment of love in his poem “The Canonization” is metaphysical.
Or, discuss “The Canonization” as a metaphysical love poem.
John Donne (1572–1631) is considered to be the pioneer and most prominent metaphysical poet. Metaphysical poetry deals with ideas that go beyond the physical world, such as spiritual love, the soul, faith, death, and God. Donne’s poem “The Canonization” (1633) is a strong example of this style. In this poem, he shows that true love is a holy thing and lovers are saints. Below, we will take a look at the dominant qualities of metaphysical poetry. We will also evaluate John Donne as a metaphysical poet.
Dominant Qualities of Metaphysical Poetry: The word “meta” means beyond (ছাড়িয়ে/পেরিয়ে). So, metaphysical means “beyond the physical.” This means that metaphysical poetry deals with ideas that go beyond the physical world, such as spiritual love, the soul, faith, death, and God. This type of poetry is full of wit, conceit, and logical argument. We also find a blend of passion and thought in metaphysical poems. John Donne uses these qualities in “The Canonization.”
Spiritual Love: In “The Canonization,” Donne shows the spiritual love between the speaker and his beloved. The speaker of the poem is an aged lover. He deeply loves his beloved. He believes his love is pure, spiritual, and even holy. He says that his love makes him and his beloved one soul. He feels that their deep love will make them “saints of love.” This theme of spiritual love is a strong quality of metaphysical poetry.
Wit and Logic Arguments: Donne uses wit and logical arguments in this poem, which are metaphysical qualities. Wit is the ability to write things that are clever and funny. At the beginning of the poem, the speaker tells a friend not to disturb him loving. He asks his friend to talk about anything else, like his old age or health, but let him love. He argues that his love harms no one. He asks—
“What merchant’s ships have my sighs drowned?”
His sighs do not drown ships. His tears do not flood any land. This entire part shows Donne’s wit and logical arguments. Here, the speaker is using clever and funny arguments to prove that his love does not disturb anyone.
Use of Conceit: Conceit is another dominant feature of metaphysical poetry. A conceit is a strange and far-fetched comparison between two very different things. It is a surprising comparison that can run across many lines. Donne uses many conceits in this poem. For example, he compares the lovers to saints. The speaker says,
“…All shall approve
Us canonized for Love.”
Here, the lovers are not real saints, but their love is so pure and holy that they become “canonized” (saints). People should pray to learn loving like them.
In the third stanza, the lovers are compared to “Phoenix.” Phoenix is a mythical bird that dies and rises again from its own ashes. This comparison means that even if the lovers die, their love cannot. Their love is eternal.
Blend of Passion and Thought: Another important part of metaphysical poetry is the blend of passion and logical thoughts. Donne joins these qualities in the speaker’s arguments. The speaker argues that, even if their love story is not written in history books, their love story will live through sonnets and poems. He says:
“We’ll build in sonnets pretty rooms.”
This argument is clever and thoughtful, but it also comes from deep emotion. This blend is a metaphysical quality.
Dramatic Tone: Metaphysical poems are often written in a dramatic tone. “The Canonization” begins in the same way with this line:
“For God’s sake hold your tongue, and let me love.”
This is like a dramatic conversation. Here, the speaker is an aged lover. He is trying to say people should not disturb or insult him for loving.
For these reasons, “The Canonization” is a perfect example of a metaphysical love poem by John Donne. The poem is based on spiritual love, and it uses the dominant metaphysical qualities. This love poem proves that Donne is truly a great metaphysical poet.