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“The Good Morrow”

"The Good Morrow"

is one of John Donne’s most famous metaphysical poems, celebrated for its exploration of love, spiritual connection, and the transcendent nature of human relationships. Written in the early 17th century, the poem is a reflection on the awakening of two lovers who experience a profound emotional and spiritual bond.

Let’s break down the poem’s themes, structure, and significance.

Summary of “The Good Morrow”

“The Good Morrow” is a lyric poem that captures the moment of intimacy between two lovers who have just awoken from sleep. They are in a state of blissful awareness, realizing that their love for each other transcends the physical and reaches into the spiritual realm. In the first stanza, Donne reflects on the past when their love was merely physical or superficial, and contrasts it with the depth of their current feelings.

Donne introduces the idea of “a waking world,” where the lovers’ love creates their own universe, a world in which only the two of them matter. The second stanza is filled with metaphysical conceits, metaphors that reflect the lovers’ spiritual awakening. The final stanza highlights their mutual understanding and deep connection, suggesting that together, they form a perfect, self-contained world.

Key Themes and Analysis

  1. Spiritual and Physical Love
    The poem contrasts the lovers’ earlier lives, which were full of superficial pursuits, with their current state, where their love is pure and transcendent. Donne suggests that true love awakens the soul and allows for a deeper connection. The metaphor of the lovers awakening from sleep is not only literal but symbolic of a spiritual awakening as well.
  2. Self-Sufficiency of Love
    Donne emphasizes that the love between the two is so powerful and fulfilling that they need nothing else. The phrase “for love, all love of other sights controls” suggests that their love is a world of its own, complete and self-sustaining, needing no external influences.
  3. Transcendence of Time and Space
    The poem alludes to a love that is so intense that it transcends physical limitations and even time itself. Donne explores the notion that love, when experienced in its highest form, can create its own realm that is eternal and unaffected by the passage of time.
  4. Metaphysical Conceits
    Donne often uses complex metaphors, or “conceits,” to explore abstract ideas in vivid and surprising ways. In “The Good Morrow,” he compares the lovers’ relationship to the entire world, suggesting that their connection is so profound that it eclipses the rest of existence. Donne also uses the metaphor of the “seven sleepers,” referring to an ancient story where people sleep for centuries and awaken to a new world, implying that the lovers’ relationship is a rebirth of sorts.

Structure and Form

The poem consists of three six-line stanzas, known as sestets, with a regular ABABCC rhyme scheme. The regularity of the structure mirrors the stable and harmonious love that Donne is describing. Additionally, the enjambment (lines that run over into the next without a pause) enhances the flow and continuity of thought, reinforcing the idea of an unbroken connection between the lovers.

Poem Analysis: The Good Morrow

Here is the poem for reference:

“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 others, 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.

Class Activities for “The Good Morrow”

  1. Close Reading Exercise
    Students read the poem aloud, paying attention to the flow and rhythm. Afterward, they analyze the use of metaphysical conceits in the poem and how Donne uses them to explore love and spirituality.
  2. Group Discussion on Love and Awakening
    Divide students into small groups and ask them to discuss the theme of awakening in the poem. How does Donne use the idea of waking from sleep as a metaphor for love?
  3. Exploring Metaphysical Conceits
    Provide students with examples of metaphysical conceits in the poem. Have them create their own metaphysical metaphors to explore different emotions or concepts.
  4. Love in the Modern World
    Students debate the poem’s message on love in today’s world. Do they agree that love should be so powerful and transformative as described in the poem? How is love depicted in contemporary society?
  5. Poetry and Sound Analysis
    Have students listen to various readings of the poem and analyze how the sound, rhythm, and rhyme scheme contribute to the meaning of the poem.

Class Assignments for “The Good Morrow”

  1. Poem Analysis Essay
    Students write an essay analyzing the metaphysical conceits used in the poem. They should focus on how Donne’s use of metaphor deepens the poem’s exploration of love.
  2. Write a Modern Version of the Poem
    Ask students to rewrite the poem in modern language, keeping the original meaning intact but making it relatable to today’s audience.
  3. Research Paper on Donne’s Metaphysical Poetry
    Students write a research paper exploring Donne’s role in the metaphysical poetry movement and how “The Good Morrow” fits into that tradition.
  4. Comparative Poem Analysis
    Students compare “The Good Morrow” with another love poem, either by Donne or another poet, analyzing how love is portrayed in both poems.
  5. Creative Writing Assignment
    Students write their own poem inspired by “The Good Morrow”, focusing on a profound love and its transcendental qualities, using metaphysical conceits.

Conclusion

John Donne’s “The Good Morrow” is a profound exploration of love and awakening, demonstrating the transformative power of a deep, spiritual connection. The poem’s metaphysical conceits and rich imagery continue to captivate readers, allowing them to reflect on their own experiences of love and awakening.

Through its mastery of form and language, “The Good Morrow” remains an iconic example of metaphysical poetry that transcends time, connecting readers with its universal theme of love’s power to awaken the soul.

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