Explain the following:

“The phoenix riddle hath more wit

By us; we two being one, are it.

So, to one neutral thing both sexes fit.”

These lines come from the third stanza of John Donne’s (1572-1631) metaphysical love poem “The Canonization” (1633). In these lines, the speaker uses a famous metaphysical conceit to describe the deep and spiritual love between him and his beloved.

The phoenix is a mythical bird that dies in fire and rises again from its own ashes. It lives alone. Only one phoenix exists at a time. Donne uses this image in a clever and surprising way. He says that people can understand the riddle of the phoenix better by looking at the two lovers. He tells us that although they are two separate human beings, their love makes them one soul. So, just like the phoenix is one creature, the lovers also become one through their pure love.

The speaker also compar