John Donne, Writing Poetry During

John Donne, writing poetry during the early modern period, often combined his imagery and subject matter to focus on devotion in terms of eroticism and divine love. This is indicative of the way in which he considered the metaphysical connection between the spiritual and the physical. Although some poetry focuses more upon erotic, romantic love affairs, the ideal of the divine and the perfect is often also prevalent. These connections are often established by means of the symbolism known as the metaphysical conceit.

The metaphysical conceit is an element of poetry that uses unusual symbolism to demonstrate the depth of the poet's or speaker's feeling or drive within the context of the poem. Good examples of the metaphysical deceit occur in many of Donne's poems, including "Bait" and "A Valediction Forbidding Mourning."

Bait

"Bait" is a poem written in response to "The Shepherd to his Love" by Marlowe, and also Sir Walter Raleigh's work based upon this, "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd." The latter is much less idealistic that the romanticism posed by Marlow. In his version of the poem, Donne takes matters a step further by means of the metaphysical conceit.

Donne compares the speaker of the poem to fish, with the lady being addressed represented by a fisherwoman. This entirely removes both any references to pastoral imagery and any pretence at romanticism. The images are sharp and clear, including the "silken lines and silver hooks" mentioned in line 4. This is very clear fishing imagery, and hardly aesthetic, although Donne does manage to sketch some sense of aesthetics into the work.

The poem's opening lines place the reader into the context of the poem right away. The image of the fish and catchers are then unmistakably a metaphysical conceit in order to demonstrate the hunting and snaring relationships inspired by courtship. For the speaker, however, the hunt is over; he had been caught, and willingly so. The image of the woman herself being "bait" is a very strong metaphysical deceit. Through this highly unusual metaphor, Donne makes it clear that the lady who caught the speaker's attention need only be herself to catch whichever fish she pleases. She does not need to play any games of deceit or cruelty to win men's hearts, but does so with ease.

While "Bait" addresses the theme of romantic love from the vantage point of its beginning, "A Valediction Forbidding Mourning" does so from the perspective of an established relationship. The characters within the poem are so strong in their relationship, that they do not need to be deterred by a temporary parting.

A Valediction Forbidding Mourning

Like "Bait," this poem also makes use of strong and unusual metaphysical conceit. The poet for example begins by comparing the parting to death. In the comparison, the speaker encourages his love to quietly accept his departure, like the dying would accept death. She is to remain quiet and calm, trusting the necessity and inevitability of the speaker's leaving.

The second and third strong images in the poem concern the love connection between the couple. The poet uses gold as a metaphor for the pliability and expanding properties of the couple's love. When gold is beaten, it bends and expands; it does not break. In the same way, the love between the man and the woman will only grow stronger and more expansive through the trial of their separation.

The strongest conceit in the poem is the drawing compass, which the poet uses to demonstrate the unbreakable connection provided by the love between the speaker and his lady. They are joined to each other like the two legs of the compass. The leg drawing the circle represents the speaker, while the leg remaining as an axis represents the lady remaining at home. Like the legs of the compass, the speaker who travels is inevitably drawn back to his love, who in turn yearns for his return. She is the axis around which his world revolves. There are no adventures or persons who can break the connection between them. This connection transcends all trials, and indeed is only forged more strongly by the expanding strength of his love. Indeed, one might even connect this love with the conceit of death used in the beginning of the poem. The love connection between the traveler and his lady is strong enough to transcend even death. While they are to accept the separation with grace and silence, they are also to understand that their love will connect them beyond the ability of any force to destroy it.

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