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To Love, To Lust
The poets, John Donne and Andrew Marvell, in their respective works, “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” and “To His Coy Mistress,” make use of poetic devices to illuminate the themes present in the poems. In “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning,” Donne provides his insights on the human condition of love. Even when two lovers are separated physically, their souls will never part, not even till death. Marvell in “To His Coy Mistress” alludes to the human condition of lust. As time passes swiftly, lovers should seize their moment of youth and take pleasure with one another. In both poems the use of metaphor, hyperbole, and simile serve to enhance the poets’ themes of spiritual and physical love.
Metaphors are used by the poets to convey their message. Donne compares the separation of a man’s soul from the body to the physical separation between himself and his wife,
As virtuous men pass mildly away, / And whisper to their souls to go, / Whilst some of their sad friends do say / The breath goes now, and some say, No;
So let us melt, and make no noise, / No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move; (1-6).
Though they mourn and grief for the man who has passed away, he asks his wife not to be sad of their departure. Even when their physical bond dissolves, it blends with their spiritual love, making it transcendent, “So let us melt, and make no noise” (Donne 5). Donne compares “moving of th’ earth brings harms and fears” (9) and “But trepidation of the spheres, / Though greater far, is innocent” (11) to the movements in distance of lovers. Superficial love is represented by movement of the earth, which is earthquake. This natural disaster is inconsistent as it is unknown when exactly it shall create vibrations that cause damage. Similarly, love that is base only on physical attributes is inconstant as well. Through separation, these superficial lovers may change feelings for one another. Movements of the sun and other heavenly bodies, harmless and “innocent” (Donne 12) is the movement of separation between Donne’s wife and him. It is a natural occurrence that can be endured by their true love. The main theme is displayed when Donne compares his connection with his lover to a compass, “As stiff twin compasses are two; / Thy soul, the fixed foot, makes no show / To move, but doth, if th’ other do” (26-8). Though the ends of the compass can be pulled away from each other, they are not fully apart and are joined together at the center of the circle, thus creating a perfect circle. Donne’s wife completes the center of him. While Marvell describes his love as “vegetable love” (11) which would grow through nurturing. It takes time for any crops to grow, yet the speaker does not have such time to waste, but wants quick passionate love. Marvell states “Time’s winged chariot hurrying a near” (22), thus comparing time to a chariot with wings. As Apollo in mythology drove a flying chariot of the sun, the sun shows when the day has arrived and gone. Even when he wishes to praise every part of her body, giving each hundreds, if not thousands of year, time is inevitable and flies by quickly. Marvell portrays the lust he has for his lover as he states the woman’s soul breathes forth great amounts of heat, “And while thy willing soul transpires / At every pore with instant fires” (35-36). As “instant fires” (Marvell 36) is the many heat that represents desires that are immediate, thus he only wants her for a short duration. Lastly Marvell states “Thorough the iron gates of life” (44), as to break through or breaking free of the woman’s virginity. The use of this figure of speech aids the poets to express their theme of love.
Hyperbole serves to display the extent of each poet’s love. Donne uses the element of earth for tears and air for sighing as he states “No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move” (6). He bids his wife not to cry great flood of tears or to sigh heavily as they part. Emotions such as tears and sighing are only for superficial lovers who can’t stand the physical distance apart. The love his wife and him share are sacred that need not display grief. On the other hand, Marvell writes “Thou by the Indian Ganges’ side / Shouldst rubies find; I by the tide/ Of Humber would complain” (5-7), he tells the woman if she had all the time in the world she can travel to the Ganges River in India, while he resides in Humber, yet time is passing by and her youth would eventually vanish. Thus she should submit to him her virginity now. Marvell then states “I would/ Love you ten years before the Flood, / And you should, if you please, refuse / Till the conversion of the Jews” (7-10), exaggerating that he would love her ten years before the flood that Noah outlasted and love her till the Jews convert their religion. Marvell boasts his admiration to her body,
An hundred years should go to praise / Thine eyes, and on thy forehead gaze; / Two hundred to adore each breast, / But thirty thousand to the rest; / An age at least to every part, / And the last age should show your heart (13-18).
He would admire each part of her body devoting hundred and thousands of years to each. He would praise his lover’s eyes, breasts, and the rest of her body, but the last he shall adore would be her heart. Thus, the overstatement enhances the poets’ view of love.
The last poetic device that the poets use is simile. Donne compares the love his wife and him have for one another to gold, “A breach, but an expansion, like gold airy thinness beat” (23-24). When gold is heated it does not break but spread, just as their love when spread will not change but would have the same value. Marvell compares the morning dew to his lover’s youth, “Now therefore, while the youthful hue/ Sits on thy skin like morning dew” (33-34), which is ephemeral. The poet then compares “And now, like amorous birds of prey” (Marvell 38) to the passion of lovemaking, as “birds of prey” are bold strong animals, he talks of their lovemaking to be aggressive and “amorous” to be the consumption of passion by the lovers. Through the use of comparison, similes help exemplify the theme.
For Donne and Marvell, the state of human condition in love is different. Donne perceives love that transcends the physical and can be tested with separation. Marvell focuses on carpe diem, as seizing the moment of youth, being the utmost important. Through the use of metaphor and similes, both poets compare their definition of love to something else. With the use of hyperbole, overstatement of exaggeration defines their value towards their lover. Donne uses metaphor and similes to compare love to be everlasting, while Marvell compares the limit time has on their youth, to ask her to submit to him her virginity. Hyperbole displays the extent of true love to Donne, yet is mocked by Marvell, that he can give his lover all the time in the world to postpone her commitment to him, yet youth is fleeting. Youth is ephemeral, but true love is everlasting.
Works Cited
Donne, John. “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning.” Literature: A Portable Anthology. Ed. Janet E. Gardner, Beverly Lawn, Jack Ridl, and Peter Schakel. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s. 2004. 382-3.
Marvell, Andrew. “To His Coy Mistress.” Literature: A Portable Anthology. Ed. Janet E. Gardner, Beverly Lawn, Jack Ridl, and Peter Schakel. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s. 2004. 397-8.
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The poets, John Donne and Andrew Marvell, in their respective works, “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” and “To His Coy Mistress,” make use of poetic devices to illuminate the themes present in the poems. In “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning,” Donne provides his insights on the human condition of love. Even when two lovers are separated physically, their souls will never part, not even till death. Marvell in “To His Coy Mistress” alludes to the human condition of lust. As time passes swiftly, lovers should seize their moment of youth and take pleasure with one another. In both poems the use of metaphor, hyperbole, and simile serve to enhance the poets’ themes of spiritual and physical love.
Metaphors are used by the poets to convey their message. Donne compares the separation of a man’s soul from the body to the physical separation between himself and his wife,
As virtuous men pass mildly away, / And whisper to their souls to go, / Whilst some of their sad friends do say / The breath goes now, and some say, No;
So let us melt, and make no noise, / No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move; (1-6).
Though they mourn and grief for the man who has passed away, he asks his wife not to be sad of their departure. Even when their physical bond dissolves, it blends with their spiritual love, making it transcendent, “So let us melt, and make no noise” (Donne 5). Donne compares “moving of th’ earth brings harms and fears” (9) and “But trepidation of the spheres, / Though greater far, is innocent” (11) to the movements in distance of lovers. Superficial love is represented by movement of the earth, which is earthquake. This natural disaster is inconsistent as it is unknown when exactly it shall create vibrations that cause damage. Similarly, love that is base only on physical attributes is inconstant as well. Through separation, these superficial lovers may change feelings for one another. Movements of the sun and other heavenly bodies, harmless and “innocent” (Donne 12) is the movement of separation between Donne’s wife and him. It is a natural occurrence that can be endured by their true love. The main theme is displayed when Donne compares his connection with his lover to a compass, “As stiff twin compasses are two; / Thy soul, the fixed foot, makes no show / To move, but doth, if th’ other do” (26-8). Though the ends of the compass can be pulled away from each other, they are not fully apart and are joined together at the center of the circle, thus creating a perfect circle. Donne’s wife completes the center of him. While Marvell describes his love as “vegetable love” (11) which would grow through nurturing. It takes time for any crops to grow, yet the speaker does not have such time to waste, but wants quick passionate love. Marvell states “Time’s winged chariot hurrying a near” (22), thus comparing time to a chariot with wings. As Apollo in mythology drove a flying chariot of the sun, the sun shows when the day has arrived and gone. Even when he wishes to praise every part of her body, giving each hundreds, if not thousands of year, time is inevitable and flies by quickly. Marvell portrays the lust he has for his lover as he states the woman’s soul breathes forth great amounts of heat, “And while thy willing soul transpires / At every pore with instant fires” (35-36). As “instant fires” (Marvell 36) is the many heat that represents desires that are immediate, thus he only wants her for a short duration. Lastly Marvell states “Thorough the iron gates of life” (44), as to break through or breaking free of the woman’s virginity. The use of this figure of speech aids the poets to express their theme of love.
Hyperbole serves to display the extent of each poet’s love. Donne uses the element of earth for tears and air for sighing as he states “No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move” (6). He bids his wife not to cry great flood of tears or to sigh heavily as they part. Emotions such as tears and sighing are only for superficial lovers who can’t stand the physical distance apart. The love his wife and him share are sacred that need not display grief. On the other hand, Marvell writes “Thou by the Indian Ganges’ side / Shouldst rubies find; I by the tide/ Of Humber would complain” (5-7), he tells the woman if she had all the time in the world she can travel to the Ganges River in India, while he resides in Humber, yet time is passing by and her youth would eventually vanish. Thus she should submit to him her virginity now. Marvell then states “I would/ Love you ten years before the Flood, / And you should, if you please, refuse / Till the conversion of the Jews” (7-10), exaggerating that he would love her ten years before the flood that Noah outlasted and love her till the Jews convert their religion. Marvell boasts his admiration to her body,
An hundred years should go to praise / Thine eyes, and on thy forehead gaze; / Two hundred to adore each breast, / But thirty thousand to the rest; / An age at least to every part, / And the last age should show your heart (13-18).
He would admire each part of her body devoting hundred and thousands of years to each. He would praise his lover’s eyes, breasts, and the rest of her body, but the last he shall adore would be her heart. Thus, the overstatement enhances the poets’ view of love.
The last poetic device that the poets use is simile. Donne compares the love his wife and him have for one another to gold, “A breach, but an expansion, like gold airy thinness beat” (23-24). When gold is heated it does not break but spread, just as their love when spread will not change but would have the same value. Marvell compares the morning dew to his lover’s youth, “Now therefore, while the youthful hue/ Sits on thy skin like morning dew” (33-34), which is ephemeral. The poet then compares “And now, like amorous birds of prey” (Marvell 38) to the passion of lovemaking, as “birds of prey” are bold strong animals, he talks of their lovemaking to be aggressive and “amorous” to be the consumption of passion by the lovers. Through the use of comparison, similes help exemplify the theme.
For Donne and Marvell, the state of human condition in love is different. Donne perceives love that transcends the physical and can be tested with separation. Marvell focuses on carpe diem, as seizing the moment of youth, being the utmost important. Through the use of metaphor and similes, both poets compare their definition of love to something else. With the use of hyperbole, overstatement of exaggeration defines their value towards their lover. Donne uses metaphor and similes to compare love to be everlasting, while Marvell compares the limit time has on their youth, to ask her to submit to him her virginity. Hyperbole displays the extent of true love to Donne, yet is mocked by Marvell, that he can give his lover all the time in the world to postpone her commitment to him, yet youth is fleeting. Youth is ephemeral, but true love is everlasting.
Works Cited
Donne, John. “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning.” Literature: A Portable Anthology. Ed. Janet E. Gardner, Beverly Lawn, Jack Ridl, and Peter Schakel. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s. 2004. 382-3.
Marvell, Andrew. “To His Coy Mistress.” Literature: A Portable Anthology. Ed. Janet E. Gardner, Beverly Lawn, Jack Ridl, and Peter Schakel. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s. 2004. 397-8.
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Guide created: 03/31/08 (updated 07/05/08)
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