Describe Donne as a love poet with reference to The Good-Morrow
Introduction
John Donne (1572-1631) is well known as the pioneer of the metaphysical school of poetry and of course love poet. His treatment of love is out and out different since in the poem “The Good Morrow”, the poet has given a philosophic treatment of love.
Subconscious stage of love
At the very outset of the poem, the poet gives a really surprising starting to declare his before his beloved.
“I wonder, by my troth, what thou and I
Did, till we loved? Were we not weaned till then?”
Such an opening is the outstanding declaration of the subconscious or unconscious stage of love. The poet means to say that they are in love but they were also in love before they met each other. This is absolutely philosophic declaration of love. So, Donne is not a poet of love from the surface structure but has a deep philosophy on love.
Conscious stage of love
As a love poet John Donne is unique for his treatment of love. The poet asserts that true love prevents lovers from all kinds of sensually illicit affairs. The poet also tells that pure love creates a little room for lovers in every corner of the world.
“For love, all love of other sights controls,
And makes one little room an everywhere.”
Thus, the poet concludes the conscious stage of love in a way that if two lovers’ thinking is the same, they can make a world that is really unbreakable.
More Notes of Poetry
Immortal stage of love
John Donne is not a love poet like the Elizabethan love poet who used to praise the physical beauty of their beloved. Donne never talks about the physical fairness of his beloved. He focuses on the union of the soul. He makes use of conceits to disclose the intensity of love. He does not feel any hesitation to proclaim that their love is better than anything and places in the world. There is no better place in the universe that is free from natural drawbacks but their love is free from adversity. He asserts confidently that equal love never dies rather it gets immortality.
“If our two loves be one, or, thou and I
Love so alike, that none do slacken, none can die.”
Conclusion
Therefore, we can say that Donne’s treatment of love as a love poet is unique, philosophic and metaphysical. His treatment of love is not a simple love but a proper interpretation of life.
