In The Flea, Donne displays his skill in turning even a tiny
insect into a symbol of love and romance. The poem is lighthearted and witty –
indeed, the central theme is that a mere flea could represent a “marriage bed
and marriage temple.” The poem never explicitly refers to sex, but it is clear
that that is what the poem is refers to – the speaker is trying to convince his
loved one to engage in premarital sex, saying that it will be completely
innocuous and blameless.
In Song, Donne’s attitude towards love is sweeter: instead
of a focus on the sexual, physical aspect of romance, he talks of the
separation from his love, and how it will not weaken their bond. He says he is
not leaving “for weariness” of his beloved, nor is he looking for a “fitter
love.” In fact, he compares his departure from her to death. He compares his fidelity
to the dependability of the sun - just as it rises every day, so can his lover
trust that he will return to her.
Canonization is significantly more complex than the first
two poems. Donne’s speaker is sardonic and yet innocently defends love, witty
and yet completely love struck. The title refers to the process by which people
are inducted into the canon of saints – giving it a spiritual feel even though
the poem is a very logical, worldly defence of love. The speaker defends his
love affair in this poem, saying that it does not hurt anyone (similar to his
sentiments in The Flea, although in this poem they are directed not to his
beloved, but to anyone who would criticize his love).
It appears after Elegy 19, however, that Donne has a change
of heart towards love. This poem is playful and very erotic. It focuses solely
on the physical aspect of love, and describes in detail the desire the speaker
feels for his mistress and her body. The poem is very straightforward in what
it is about; however even in this heightened state of excitement, the speaker retains
his capacity for wit, calling himself a soldier waiting for battle.
In A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning the speaker describes
the nature of a more spiritual love. In the light of impending separation from
his beloved, he tells her that their physical separation can be transcended by
their spiritual connection. He says that their two souls are one, and that
therefore being separated will only increase the area of their one soul, as
opposed to creating a distance between them.
Thus on the whole I feel that it is hard to discern a
continuous trend of emotion in these poems, at least read in this order. They
go from playful to sweet to sardonic to erotic to vaguely spiritual. I feel
that the poems can be grouped into three types: The Flea and Elegy 19 focus on
the physical act of love, Song is about the bittersweetness of separation from
a loved one, and Canonization and A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning have a spiritual
bent to them. Alternatively, Canonization can be grouped with Song in its sweet
defence of love, and A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning can be grouped with
Song since it is also about separation from his beloved.
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