IS JOHN DONNE A METAPHYSICAL METAPHYSICAL POET ? OR DOES DONNE’S DONNE’S POETRY POETRY AFFE AFFECT CT THE META METAPHYSICS? PHYSICS? The age of Donne was an age of transition, standing midway between the age of Shakespeare and the Jacobean age(1572_1!1"# $any changes in the po%itica%, socia% and economic domains were being effected# &o%onia% e'pansion and increase in indstry and trade made peop%e materia%istic# The disco)ery of the physica% wor%d was another aspect of this this age# age# Donn Donnee was was inte intens nse% e%y y inte intere rest sted ed in the the e'ten e'tensi sion on of the the %imi %imits ts and the the know%edge know%edge of the physica% wor%d# wor%d# *n his age , we find tension between between the o%d and the new and the same is said in his poetry# + wa)e of romance swept the minds of creati)e writers writers # Donnes re)o%t re)o%t against against the sweetness sweetness and harshness harshness of -%i.abethan -%i.abethan )erse is i%%strated by the rggedness and dissonance of his %ines# /is poetry is co%%o0ia%(not con)ent con)ention iona%" a%" and and more %ike %ike the hman hman speec speech# h# /e ga)e new new form and )a%idi )a%idity ty to -%i.abethan conceits# $etaphysica% poetry is genera%%y di)ided into two c%asses( i " Love poetry and ( ii " Religiou Religiou poetry # Donne wrote %o)e %o)e poems as did C!re"# Su$%li&g and and Lovel!$e Lovel!$e '/e a%so a%so wrot wrotee e%i e%igi gios os poems poems as did did Her(ert# Cr!)!", *!ug)!& !&+ Co"ley' Donne Donness %o)e %o)e poetry poetry , ! revolt !g!i&t t)e $o&ve&tio&!l ro,!&ti$i, o- Eli.!(et)!& Eli.!(et)!& love poetry , was termed termed as /,et!p)yi$!l poetry0 and he was termed termed as a both by Dry+e& and S!,uel Jo)&o&' This tit%e tit%e has been /,et!p)yi$!l /,et!p)yi$!l poet0 both Jo)&o&' This conferr conferred ed on him becase becase of /)i u++e& -lig)t -ro, t)e ,!teri!l to t)e piritu!l p)ere0 and a%so becase becase of his obscri obscrity ty which is occasio occasiona% na%%y %y baff%in baff%ing# g# /is stff stff abonds in wit and conceits# &onceits are the )ery so% and stff of his poetic diction# The term metaphysica% was app%ied to them as in their poetry there is the habit /o- !l"!y ee%i&g to e1pre o,et)i&g !-ter# So,et)i&g (e)i&+ t)e i,ple# o(viou -irt e&e !&+ ugge uggetio tio& & o- ! u(2e$t'0 $ore $oreo) o)er er,, he is said said meta metaphy physi sica% ca% becas becasee his his sty% sty%ee is
o)erwhe%med with obscre phi%osophica% phi%osophica% a%%sions and sbt%e sbt%e and abstract references references to science and re%igion# *t is he , who set a fashion for metaphysica% conceits and inf%enced inf%enced a nmber of contemporary contemporary poets poets %ike &rashaw &rashaw and &ow%ey# &ow%ey# *t is right to say that he repres represent entss )ery we%% we%% the schoo% schoo% of poetry poetry ca%%ed ca%%ed /,et!p)yi$!l0' 3esides, he is a metaphysica% poet in the %itera% sense a%so( meta4 beyond , physica%4physica% natre"# p)iloop)i$!l !&+ re-le$tive re-le$tive , and they dea% with concerns of the Some of his poems are p)iloop)i$!l spirit and so%# +nd he is a metaphysica% poet# The )ery first characteristic of metaphysica% poetry is the se of wit and inte%%ect in poetry# Dr# Johnson said that metaphysica% poets disp%ayed !& !(u&+!&$e o- "it in their poems# /e (Dr# Johnson" describes the wit of Donne as a combination of dissimi%ar images, or a disco)ery of occ%t resemb%ances in things apparent%y n%ike# Donne has been ca%%ed a /"it0 by by se)era% critics&o%eridge, 6ope and Dr# Johnson# Donnes wit manife manifests sts itse%f itse%f in argme argmenta ntatio tion n and ratioc ratiocina inatio tion n presen presentt in the poems# poems# The parado'ica% sty%e of some of his poems a%so ref%ect Donnes wit, specia%%y so in the HOLY SONNET # 3ATTER 3ATTER MY HEART ' +%most a%% his poems are strew with bri%%iant witty %ines# Donnes wit srprises s with its inte%%ecta% )igor and agi%ity# ndobted%y he can be said the /Mo&!r$) o- 4it0' This 0a%ity makes him a ,et!p)yi$!l poet' Second%y Second%y,we find find in his poems poems the b%end of passion passion and thoght, thoght, fee%ing fee%ing and ratiocination# So, e,otio&!l i&telle$tu!lity is a characteristic of metaphysica% metaphysica% )erse# /e mi'es fact and fancy fancy in a manner which astonds astonds s# The passions passions in his poems poems are
ine'tricab%y fsed with thoght# *n some of his poems he ses argments to pro)e the e'perience of %o)e# 8or e'amp%e, in his poem / T)e 5oo+ Morro"0# the inte%%ecta% images arise from an emotiona% sitation so intricate%y wo)en with thoght, as e'pressed in the )ery first %ine /I "o&+er (y ,y trot) ")!t t)ou# !&+ I Di+# till "e love+?0 Step by step, point by point, the poet scceeds in estab%ishing his point of )iew# The poem i%%strates the tight fsion of fee%ing and ratiocination# + great many poems of Donne ha)e this 0a%ity of e,otio&!l i&telle$tu!lity' This 0a%ity makes his poetry /,et!p)yi$!l0' The se of conceit is an ingredient which gi)es a specia% character to Donnes metaphysica% poetry# Some of these conceits are, indeed, far9fetched, di)orced from rea%ity, bewi%dering, and intriging# Dr# Johnson has referred to some of the conceits of this category# $any of his poems ha)e sch far9fetched conceits# The most e'ceeding%y hyperbo%ic conceit has been sed in his poem /A *!le+i$tio&6 For(i++i&g Mour&i&g0 where there is the comparison of a man that tra)e%s, and his wife that stays at home , to a pair of compasses# *n addition to ingenios, fancif%, hyperbo%ic, fantastic and ridic%os conceits which are a characteristic featre of his poetry, he a%so makes se of parado'ica% statements in his poems fre0ent%y# $any of his poems contain parado'ica% statements# *n :T)e Leg!$y0 the %o)er becomes his own :e'ecter and %egacy;# *n /T"i$%&)!, 5!r+e&0 the )ery :trth; of the be%o)ed ki%%s the poet# /T)e App!ritio&0# /T)e I&+i--ere&t0 and /T)e Pro)i(itio&0 a%so contain parado'ica% statements# Donne deser)es the tit%e /,et!p)yi$!l0 a%so becase of his obscrity which is sometimes terrib%e# There are many passages in his )erse which baff%e the reader# The poem : Air !&+ A&gel ; is known for its ninte%%igibi%ity# *n this sense, we can say him li%e 3ro"&i&g becase the )ery diffic%ty in reading him has conted for something in his sccess becase it became a point of )anity to be sbt%e enogh to apprehend his sbt%ety, to ha)e enogh menta% agi%ity to fo%%ow his somersa%ts# To conc%de, we can say that a%% the important characteristics that are the )ery essence of metaphysica% poetry are present in Donnes poetry# /e is right%y said to be the head of metaphysica% schoo% of poetry# +fter caref% reading of his
