The good morrowBy John Donne (1572-1631)

The Good-Morrow – by John Donne

I wonder, by my troth, what thou and I Did, till we loved? Were we not weaned till then? But sucked on country pleasures, childishly? Or snorted we in the Seven Sleepers’ den? ’Twas so; but this, all pleasures fancies be. If ever any beauty I did see, Which I desired, and got, ’twas but a dream of thee.

And now good-morrow to our waking souls, Which watch not one another out of fear; For love, all love of other sights controls, And makes one little room an everywhere. Let sea-discoverers to new worlds have gone, Let maps to other, worlds on worlds have shown, Let us possess one world, each hath one, and is one.

My face in thine eye, thine in mine appears, And true plain hearts do in the faces rest; Where can we find two better hemispheres, Without sharp north, without declining west? Whatever dies, was not mixed equally; If our two loves be one, or, thou and I Love so alike, that none do slacken, none can die.

Educated at universities of Oxford and Cambridge. Roman Catholic during early part of his life, but became

an Anglican in 1615 and was appointed dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral from 1621 to his death in 1631.

The poem is from John Donne’s 1633 collection “Songs and Sonnets”.

Regarded by many critics as the greatest poet of the metaphysical school.

Metaphysics – used language in new ways to express emotion and meaning at the same time. Poems deal with the relationship of humankind, God and the universe.

Background

Viewpoint of a lover as he arises in the

morning and sees the face of his lover next to him.

Subject of this passion could be Anne More, who became Donne’s wife.

Different phases love goes through- passion of early relationship- to its growth to a spiritual experience and intimate bond.

Speaker and emotions

Re-awakening Nature/completeness of lovers’ world

Themes

Dramatic, lyrical, metaphysical poem. 3 stanzas each with 7 lines. Rhyme scheme =

ababccc

Structure and diction

Syntax is complex and refined – periodic and

balanced constructions. Mostly end-stopped lines – enhances

orderliness of lines and crisp diction (words) Vivid language and religious references

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Good Morrow = good morning (to our waking

souls)

Title

I wonder, by my troth, what thou and I Did, till we loved? Were we not weaned till then?

Line 1 - 2

Rhetorical Q of l. 1-4 - develops theme throughout

Direct question to himself and subject, ponders way of life before falling in love

truth

Infant’s gradual change from milk to solid food.

But sucked on country pleasures, childishly? Or snorted we in the Seven Sleepers’ den?

Line 3-4

AllusionCatholic tale – “Seven Sleepers of Ephesus” = 7 Christian children who hid in a cave to escape persecution during the reign of Roman Emperor Decius. They fell asleep and awoke 200 years later during the reign of Theodosius II.

THUS, their slumber is compared to the long sleep of Seven Sleepers AND their bravery to how love has changed the speaker.

Euphemismsimple, rustic and childish pleasures (like sucking mother’s milk

Slept/snored

’Twas so; but this, all pleasures fancies be. If ever any beauty I did see, Which I desired, and got, ’twas but a dream of thee.

Line 5-7Q is answered

Being in love distorts one’s sense of reality – what went before was unreal.

Any woman who had taken his fancy in the past “but a dream of thee” – a shadow

And now good-morrow to our waking souls, Which watch not one another out of fear;

Line 8-9Love having given rise to a “Seven Sleepers” miracle

PersonificationApostrophe

For love, all love of other sights controls, And makes one little room an everywhere.

Line 10-11

HyperboleWhat seems small at the outset can contain a universe once opened.

Love can outweigh all other emotions/feelings and be as enduring as lovers want it to be.

Only they exist in the room where they lay and their room is the only realm which exist in the universe.

Personification

Let sea-discoverers to new worlds have gone, Let maps to other, worlds on worlds have shown, Let us possess one world, each hath one, and is one.

Line 12-14

Love is so great he feels he has no need to explore other worlds – others can explore for he has found what he was looking for.

Passion often felt at the beginning of a love story – nothing else seems to matter.

Intimate, spiritual bond

Conceit (far-fetched comparison between two unlike things) – two lovers to the discovery of new worlds

My face in thine eye, thine in mine appears, And true plain hearts do in the faces rest;

Line 15-16When the speaker looks at/into his lover’s face, it’s like looking into a mirror – they have become so close that it seems they are the same.

Personification

Pure

Where can we find two better hemispheres, Without sharp North, without declining West?

Line 17-18MetaphorEyes – as wide-ranging and wonderful as the hemispheres of Earth.

Superior to geographical ones, lack coldness (sharp North) and sunset (declining west

Rhetorical Q and Personification

North symbolises bitterness and discord.West symbolises dying.HyperboleThe lovers’ world does not contain these “directions”.

Whatever dies, was not mixed equally; If our two loves be one, or, thou and I Love so alike, that none do slacken, none can die.

Line 19-21

Love is enduring and will continue growing – Conquers all.

Again portrays how their love has grown to the point of being like one person.

Fade/lessen

1. He felt as though he had been asleep. He felt

as though he was just a little baby not yet weaned. He felt as though he had not yet matured enough to really enjoy anything. He felt as though every enjoyment was purely imagined.

2. Metaphor/personificationMetaphor – effectively conveys the idea

that the couple experiences life as if they are awake for the first time. Their love is like a new day.

Answers

Personification – the souls themselves are

personified as beings awakening and being greeted with a morning greeting.3. They might not trust fully. They might feel

that at any time, the other might leave or let the other down.

4. He wonders what either did before they met, as everything seems insignificant and immature in comparison.

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5. True, “love controls” the desire for “other

sights”, surpassing them.6. The words “possess one world” suggest the

way in which lovers share everything, their world, their space; “hath one” suggests possession, the lovers own the world, their world; and “is one” suggests that the lovers complete each other, each one being is one half of the whole.

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7. The explorers of old would have sailed to parts of

the world not visited before. They would map the territory and make the world known. The lovers are worlds to each other and they are explorers. In time, they will explore and know each part of their partner.

8. a) Metaphorb) Two halves of the earth are compared to the two lovers, effectively conveying the idea that the one is completed by the other. There is an idea of quality as both halves are perfectly equal to the other.

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c) Rhetorical question.9. It might be that the poet is unsure of his lover

and is trying to persuade her, in which case the tone might be plaintive OR the poet might be feeling triumphant in his love, because he is sure of her love.

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