Thinking activity on metaphysical poetry
Department of English MK Bhavnagar University
The guest lecture was organised on the topic Metaphysical Poetry and Dr. R K Mandalia was invited as the guest lecturer. Dr. R. K. Mandalia is the Head of the English department of Sardar Patel University in Anand. Dr. Dilip Barad, the head of English department of M.K. Bhavnagar University, invites him every year for better understanding of the topic. Every year sir invites him at department, but this year in Corona time we meet online.
As part of the syllabus, there are six metaphysical poems, all written by John Donne. Mandalia sir has immense deep knowledge of this topic and students also enjoy every moment of this three-day's session. This blog is assigned by Dr. Dilip Barad via Google Classroom.
Definition of metaphysical poetry :-
Highly intellectualized poetry marked by bold and ingenious conceits, incongruous imagery, complexity and subtlety of thought, frequent use of paradox, and often by deliberate harshness or rigidity of expression.
The term metaphysical or metaphysics in poetry is the fruit of renaissance tree, becoming over ripe and approaching pure science. “Meta” means “beyond” and “physics” means “physical nature”. Metaphysical poetry means poetry that goes beyond the physical world of the senses and explores the spiritual world. Metaphysical poetry began early in the Jacobean age in the last stage of the age of Shakespeare. John Donne was the leader and founder of the metaphysical school of poetry. Dryden used this word at first and said that Donne “affects the metaphysics”. Among other metaphysical poets are Abraham Cowley, Henry Vaughan, Richard Crashaw, Andrew Marvell, George Herbert, Robert Herrick etc.
They felt that if they continue writing poetry in same manner as other writer like philip Sidney, Shakespeare, Admund Spenser or some other Elizabethans their poetry would be neglected because people get tired of same the same thing again and again. So they made a conscious attempt to differ from others.
"No traditions remains for ever ".
This is like our mandaliya sir said that there are two movies. But one is very famous and other one with same concept is become flop, this are
SHOLAY
SHAAN
So let's discuss about characteristics of metaphysical poetry.
◆General Features :-
A group of posts emerged in the second half of the 16th century who's poetry is identified as the metaphysical poetry. It was Dr. Samuel Johnson - A classicist of the neo classical age who named the poetry of Donne and his school as the "Metaphysical poetry". This is one quote by T. S. Eliot
●First Criticized and Then welcomed poetries :-
Johnson used this term while writing about the life of Abraham Cowley in his biographical work with the title "The Lives Of The English Poets". Dr. Johnson wanted to criticize their poetry of Donne and his followers by using the term "Metaphysical poetry". But with the passing of time the same term became the term of appraisal for their poetry.
● Different Attempt Of Writing :-
The Metaphysicals - john Donne, Jeorge Herbert, Richard Crashaw and Andrew Marvel made a conscious attempt to differ from others and particularly from the previous poets, so that their poetry may be noticed by the readers. Ons critic mentioned that…
"It was the demand of time for the metaphysicals to differ from the poets of the previous age".
Had they continued writing poetry in the same manner, just like the former poets their poetry would have been rejected by the readers. Duo to new learning and Reformation of the Elizabethan age, the intellectual level of the readers had gone upward and so the metaphysical poets tried to be intellectual in the writing of their poetry.
●Far Fetched Images :-
The best way for the metaphysical to differ from the previous poets and to be intellectual in the writing of their poetry was to use Far Fetched images and conceits. They tried to avoid using images from those field which were thickly associated with the theme of their poetry.
●No Music :-
Highlighting one remarkable feature of the metaphysical poetry dr Samuel Johnson stated that their poetry stood a trial of their finger but not of the ear that means there is no music in the poetry which they wrote, there is no rhythm to be found in the poetry of the metaphysical poets.
"The poetry of the metaphysical poets stood a trial of their finger but failed in the trial of the ears".
-Dr Johnson
So we can see that there is no use of music in metaphysical poetry.
●Different Images :-
In order to express either love or their faith chiritianity they brought their images from different fields, just like..
Biography,
Architecture,
Geometry,
Geography,
Engineering,
Political science.
This gave unique identity to their poetry. There is one fine example of this is…
"Is there all beauty in painted chair
Must we call only that stair case
Which has got winding stair…"
This is the few lines of the poem jordan. This example is given by mandaliya sir. Let's have look on some examples :
The first example is of John Donne who made use of a biographical image the flea for the expression of love in his poem "The Flea".
George Herbert made use of an image from the field of mechanical engineering for the expression of his faith in Christianity. The example is a poem with the title "The Pully". Pully is an image of mechanical engineering but in this poem that image is used to state that restlessness is also a pully, which gives a connection between the creator and the creation.
Andrew marvell made use of geometrical image for the expression of love. The example is "To His Coy Mistress".
In brief all metaphysical poets made extensive use of far fetched images in their poetry.
◆Example of Metaphysical Poetry◆
Let's see some examples of metaphysical poems
● Death Be Not Proud :-
This poem Death Be Not Proud' is a sonnet written by the English author John Donne (1572-1631). The poem is here...
Donne initially wrote poems based on romance, but moved into more religious themes as his career matured. In his later life, he converted from Catholicism to Anglicanism, the official Church of England. His later poems reflect his deep religious faith and his life as an ordained priest and dean of St. Paul's Cathedral in London. 'Death Be Not Proud' is a piece showing the religious undertones in Donne's poetry.
●The Flea :-
"The Flea" is a poem by the English poet John Donne, most likely written in the 1590s. In “The Flea,” the speaker tries to seduce his mistress with a surprising (and potentially gross) extended metaphor: both he and she have been bitten by the same flea, meaning their separate blood now mingles inside the flea’s body. Having sex is no different, the speaker argues, and no more dishonorable. His mistress should therefore yield to him. Though the metaphor is intentionally pretty crude, maybe even juvenile, the speaker infuses the poem with religious undertones: the union of speaker and mistress in the flea is like the Holy Trinity. In this way, the poem is both serious and silly, elegant and vulgar. It is as much a display of wit and erudition as a serious attempt to seduce the mistress.
●To His Coy Mistress :-
“To His Coy Mistress” is a metaphysical poem in which the speaker attempts to persuade his resistant lover that they should have sexual intercourse. He explains that if they had all the time in the world, he would have no problem with their relationship moving this slowly. However, he goes on to explain, they are mortal, and once they die they will be unable to be intimate together. The poem appears to serve dual purposes: first, to persuade the mistress to love, and second, to comment on mortality in its inevitability and grotesqueness. It is the latter objective which adds the philosophical aspect to this love poem.
●The Dream :-
"The Dream" is a poem written by John Donne. This is a poem about a dream which Donne had. He was greatly in love, but when he awoke he was still in great love. However, he realized that love is not without pain and fear. Nonetheless, those feelings will not break his spirit and he will continue to dream of how great love is and can be.
●The Sun Rising :-
"The Sun Rising" is a poem written by the English poet John Donne. Donne wrote a wide range of social satire, sermons, holy sonnets, elegies, and love poems throughout his lifetime, and he is perhaps best known for the similarities between his erotic poetry and his religious poetry. Much of his work, including "The Sun Rising," was published after his death in the 1633 collection Songs and Sonnets. We imagine the picture of sun rising, this is very beautiful scene we ever seen.
In "The Sun Rising," the speaker orders the sun to warm his bed so that he and his lover can stay there all day instead of getting up to go to work. The poem's playful use of language and extended metaphor exemplifies Donne's style across his work, erotic and religious alike.
●The Ecstasy :-
The poem The Ecstasy is one of John Donne's most popular poems, which expresses his unique and unconventional ideas about love. It expounds the theme that pure, spiritual or real love can exist only in the bond of souls established by the bodies. For Donne, true love only exists when both bodies and souls are inextricably united. Donne criticizes the platonic lover who excludes the body and emphasizes the soul.
●Sweetest Love I Do Not Goe :-
Sweetest Love, I Do Not Goe’ is a metaphysical poem written by John Donne. Here is video about the poem,
In this love poem, the poet portrays the power of true love.poet tells his beloved that he is not running away thinking that he is fed up with it or he is expecting a better love or “fitter love.” He is going because he has a desire to die in the state of bliss. He wants that when death actually comes, he is fully prepared to face death.
The poet assures his beloved that he will come back exactly as the sun comes back every day. The poet promises him that his return will be faster than the sun because he has reason to return soon.
The poet tells his beloved not to mourn his visit. The pain of the poet is also distressed by seeing her sad. He tells her that she will be present with him. Both souls are connected to each other, so there is no question of separation. There is no question of death.
The poet finally concludes that love is immortal.
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