This poem revels in its magnificent bawdiness and poetical explicitness. Donne renders this age-old theme of admiring a woman and calling her to bed enthrallingly and entertainingly new through his use of extended metaphor or “conceit.” Even though we know from the first two lines (“Come, Madam, come, all rest my powers defy/ Until I labor, I in labor lie!”) that the poem is about the poet calling his mistress to come and have sex with him, we keep on reading because he pours so much lushly descriptive language into every line.
The poem starts off with a bunch of playful couplet similes describing the mistress’ attire and body with lines such as “Off with that girdle, like heaven’s zone glistering, /But a far fairer world encompassing” (5 and 6) and “Your gown going off, such beauteous state reveals /As when from flowery meads th’ hill’s shadow steals.” (13 and 14) But these are mere enticing comments compared to the full poetic force of Donne’s conceits that follow soon after his description of his mistress taking off her clothes.
The first conceit compares the experience of caressing his mistress to discovering and conquering a previously undiscovered land:
License my roving hands, and let them go
Before, behind, between, above, below.
O my America! my new-found-land,
My kingdom, safeliest when with one man manned,
My mine of precious stones, my empery,
How blest am I in this discovering thee!
To enter in these bonds is to be free;
There where my hand is set, my seal shall be. (25-32)
He is incredibly explicit here. He obviously is having sex with this woman, but that’s not the extraordinary part. The extraordinariness of this conceit is that he compares having sex to exploring a new country and claiming it for one’s own. Even now, the metaphor retains its freshness among the million other trite euphemisms and metaphors constantly appearing and reappearing in love (and lust) poetry.
This conceit is followed almost immediately by another which strangely uses religious references:
Like pictures, or like books’ gay coverings, made
For laymen, are all women thus arrayed;
Themselves are mystic books, which only we
(Whom their imputed grace will dignify)
Must see revealed…(37-41)
For laymen, are all women thus arrayed;
Themselves are mystic books, which only we
(Whom their imputed grace will dignify)
Must see revealed…(37-41)
Women, according to the poet, are like religious books made “for laymen.” They may have “gay coverings” (clothes), but laymen (all men) won’t truly know them unless they are “revealed” (naked). This very oddly juxtaposes the carnal with the sacred. I’m sure this wasn’t a poem that Donne talked about very much after he became a clergyman. I would guess that quite a few of his fellow clergymen would think it profane. I think, though, that this extended metaphor is very witty. Donne does an excellent job of displaying his cleverness without distracting us from the main point of the poem. I would read this one again and again, not because it has any deep truths about life and death as some of his later poems do, but because it’s so full of wit. It’s impossible to appreciate and enjoy all of it after reading it only once.
I also read this numerous times and just as you said, I continued to pick up different pieces with each reading. Donne did use creative witty metaphors to tell his point and because of his wittiness I feel as though I will continue reading his work.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't a huge fan of this poem, but because of the way you broke it down and pointed out the conceits I was able to understand it better. The metaphors add so much to the meaning of Donne's work, which is why it's so important to really focus on each conceit and what it does for the entire poem.
ReplyDeleteAs Kate said, this poem was not one of my favorites. However I have a better appreciation of it now since you broke it down. It took me a couple times to really pick up on some of the metaphors Donne used, but once I got the hang out it I enjoyed his work over all. I find it exceptionally interesting that he mixed the carnal with the sacred as you said, since he was a clergyman. I feel like that was a very bold move.
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ReplyDeleteThank you so much for breaking down this poem so thoroughly! A lot of these concepts definitely went over my head my first two times reading, but your rumination really helped me understand some of the metaphors. After reading this rumination, I really like this poem. It's really clever and interesting. I'm especially fascinated by how racy it is, and using religious terms at that! I agree with Jessica that using carnal images with sacred language to be a very bold move, but it is definitely something I've seen before in poems and even modern songs. It's interesting to see these images in this form.
ReplyDeleteIt was quite helpful, as previously mentioned, how well you broke down and explained the poem. It helped me catch on to what the metaphors were about and the way I read the poem before and the way I've read it after reading your entry are completely different. As you said, this poem is quite full of wit, and while there is no "deeper meaning", as some of his other poems, this one is just as valuable. I like witty banter, so this is another one to add to my "poetry file" I'm collecting. Thanks again for such a wonderful post.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great break-down of what Donne wrote. Admittedly, though I read it twice, I didn't think much past the man's own lust. But I like how you emphasized that he writes how the woman was like un-explored land, and how it focuses on himself. I can't help make a connection between this and some of our arguments for Beowulf - Was Beowulf really a hero, or did he do it all for his own glory? Similarly, did the narrator love his mistress, or was this for the sake of "conquering territory?"
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot more to this than I had initially read, and you're right - it is so full of wit, and it is actually rather enjoyable! *off to read it again...*
I like your discussion of Donne's utilization of conceits in this rumination. I was particularly intrigued by the first example, where he compares having sex with discovering a new land. When you say it stands out as a unique and fresh metaphor among so many battered and overused sexual cliches, I cannot help but agree! I think Donne employs a conceit here that is not always readily seen in literature, and even if it is, I feel like he goes about it in a remarkably lyrical and tangible way. When he says "Before, behind . . . " he really adds a layer of physicality to the conceit that I don't think many authors attempt.
ReplyDeleteNicely explained , thank you !
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