Donne, John

Donne, << duhn, >> John (1572-1631), was one of the greatest English poets and preachers of the 1600’s. Donne was scholarly and had a keen, logical mind, but he was also deeply emotional. These qualities are evident in his poems and sermons. During his own time, Donne influenced several other poets. Donne and these poets were called the Metaphysical poets (see Metaphysical poets ).

His life.

Donne was born in London. A descendant of Sir Thomas More (also known as Saint Thomas More), Donne was raised as a Roman Catholic. However, sometime during the 1590’s, Donne became an Anglican. About 1597, he became secretary to Sir Thomas Egerton, a distinguished government official. In 1601, Donne secretly married Egerton’s 16-year-old niece, Ann More. More’s father was outraged at the marriage and had Donne dismissed from his position and finally imprisoned.

For the next 14 years, Donne struggled to support himself and his growing family, often living on the generosity of patrons. In 1615, at the urging of King James I, Donne became an Anglican priest. Donne also received a Doctor of Divinity degree from Cambridge University. He quickly became famous for his sermons and often preached at the royal court. In 1621, Donne became dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral, holding this position until his death on March 31, 1631.

His poetry.

Donne wrote poetry on a variety of subjects and used many different genres (poetic types). His early Satires and Elegies (both probably written in the 1590’s) follow classical models, but they also have a distinctly modern flavor. In Songs and Sonnets (1590’s), his best-known group of poems, Donne wrote both tenderly and cynically of love. His major love poems include “The Canonization” and “The Extasie” (both first published in 1633, after his death).

Later, Donne turned to writing religious poetry. He produced a superb series of Holy Sonnets, many of which were published in 1633 or 1635, including “Death be not proud” and “Batter my heart, three person’d God.” Donne also wrote a moving meditative poem called “Good Friday, 1613. Riding Westward” and three magnificent hymns. He wrote nearly 200 poems, but only a few were published during his lifetime. The others circulated in manuscript copies and were not published until 1633. Donne’s poetry was somewhat ignored during the 1700’s and 1800’s, but in the early 1900’s, interest in his poetry revived. Modern poets, including T. S. Eliot, have praised and imitated Donne’s works.

Donne’s language is dramatic, witty, and sometimes shocking. He used a variety of imagery and based his rhythms on everyday speech. At times, the complexity of his thought makes his meaning difficult to understand, but his poems always unfold in a logical way. He had a genius for creating extended poetic metaphors called conceits. In the Metaphysical conceit, the poet developed a lengthy, complex image to express precisely his view of a person, object, or feeling. Donne’s lyric “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” (first published in 1633, after his death) includes his most famous conceit. Donne compares the souls of separated lovers to the legs of a compass:

If they be two, they are two so As stiffe twin compasses are two, Thy soule the fixt foot, makes no show To move, but doth, if th’ other do.

See also English literature (Metaphysical and Cavalier poets) ; Valediction: Forbidding Mourning, A .