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| Sunday, 29 May 2005 |
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A/L English Literature Made Easy - Poets : The Sun Rising by John Donne John Donne's The Sun Rising carries the 'theoretical philosophy of existence and knowledge.'
"Through windows, and through curtains call on us?" The poet questions the sun, being anxious to know, whether the Sun expects the lovers to follow routine procedure like seasons, like school boys and courtiers or like the court huntsmen who must hunt according to the king's wishes or labourers gathering the harvest, which they are confined to do accordingly. John Donne has pointed out in a very appropriate manner, quite exceptional - love is not to be timed in a mechanical manner or subjected to timetables. Love, all alike, no season knowes, nor clyme, Nor houres, dayes, moneths, which are the rags of time. Donne's knowledge of the 'Revival of Learning or the Rennaisance' has made him to be conscious of the fact - how small the man is in relation to the Earth and how small the Earth is in relation to the Sun and how it revolves round the Sun. The Poet emphasises the fact that one has to be mindful of the 'Natural Responses' of man towards the Sun and how man consider it as a God having magnificient power over him. The poet tries to bring out the image in a reverse manner emphasising how even the Sun looks 'weak and silly amidst Love.' The image of the Sun in relation to the lovers and how the lovers triumph over time. The first verse carries the tone of triumph over time and the final couplet ascertain its victory. Love, all alike, no season knowes nor clyme, Nor houres, dayes, moneths, which are the rags of time. The second verse carries a soft note and an appraisal - ardent love. I could eclipse and cloud them with a winke But that I would not lose her sight so long. The ideas flow in a spontaneous manner. To eclipse the Sun one wants only to close one's eyes. But the poet is reluctant to do it because by doing so he would only lose sight of his loved one, which he is unable to bear even for a short time. The poet fancies whether his beloved one's eyes have blinded the Sun, when it should be vice versa. The poet presumes that the wealth, gold and spice of India and West Indies are with them 'in bed now.' ... All here in one bed lay. The third verse begins with an exaggeration. Power Honour and wealth seem only imitations of what the lovers have. But there's the 'Lovers distortion.' The poet presumes that being in Love distorts or twists one's vision. There's 'a humorous exaggerated imitation, a distinguished characteristic' of metaphysical poetry. What seems to be true is not Love's triumph over sense of time. When the poet says - 'She is all states, and all Princes I Nothing else is' he alerts us to the fact that 'this is an exaggeration'. Each verse contains ten lines rhyming abba,cd,cdee. The last two lines being a rhyming couplet summing up the ideas expressed by the first eight lines. Love all alike, no season, knowes, nor clyme Nor houres, dayes, monthes which are rags of time. Donne has used simple diction in a splendid manner introducing his philosophy in a rhetoric style. The last two lines of the poem maintains the theme alive, keeping the flow of words in a whimsical manner. The Rhythm and rhyme being in the style of metaphysical poetry highlight the ideas conveyed by the poet. John Donne's poetry is rather difficult to understand due to 'the complexity of the ideas' his poems convey. In this poem 'The Sun Rising' the dominant image - the SUN - in connection to the lovers and how love wins over time. The tone of each verse is carried in 'assertive manner.' The tint of exaggeration adds much emphasis to the ideas the poet intends to convey. Thou sunne art halfe as happy as wee, In that the world's contracted thus. The flamboyance in the rhetoric manner the poet, John Donne has presented his ideas maintaining the 'Serious assertion about the power of Love.' Mrs. C. Ekanayake, Specialist Teacher Eng. Lit., St. Anne's College, Kurunegala. |
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The
opening line of the poem creates 'unexpected images' which is a
characteristic of metaphysical poetry. The poet addresses the sun in a
teasing manner, foolish, badly disciplined old man, busy peeping into the
lives of lovers "Busie old foole unruly Sunne." 
