Air and Angels
Metaphysical Poetry is the classification of poetry that has attached to it a long and peculiar history; metaphysical poetry encompasses the whole human experience but is imparted with such intelligence or wit, seriousness and passion on the reflective topics of experience, particularly about love, romantic and sensual; and man's relationship with God and the spiritual world, that one needs to read these poems as a form of minute meditation. Etymologically, metaphysical means behind or beyond the physical. It is also defined as being concerned with first principles and essence of 'Being' and 'Knowing'. John Donne, born in 1572,London, was the first to be branded with the term metaphysical in derogation, by Samuel Johnson. Strangely enough Donne's poetic repute suffered before it was rediscovered in the twentieth century, this is due to the fact that the era in which Donne was writing had not been previously exposed to the novel vulgarity and harsh imagery that Donne provoked. It is known that in the seventeenth century lyric is strongly influenced by the court both in the matter of theme and form. But Donne's lyrics are characterized by fervor, range of imagery, linguistic shock effect and a general air of the passionate eccle
His contradictions are representative of the powerful contrary forces at work in his poetry and in his soul, rather than of sloppy thinking or inconsistency. There were new discoveries in geography, medicine, business, botany, warfare, and law; all of which showed up in the metaphysical poetry of John Donne. 4 The tone then changes in that Donne through his lines, "We think that Paradise and Calvarie Chists Crosse and Adams tree, stood in one place; Looke Lord, and find both Adams met in me; As the first Adams sweat surrounds my face, May the last Adams blood my soule embrace. Many critics chastised Donne's introduction of philosophical conceits into poetry. The levels to which the metaphysical poets took their modus operandum often resulted in obscurity, rough verses and strained imagery. The Metaphysical poems were noted, however, for their use of conceits, which as a literary term, refers to an elaborate metaphor comparing two apparently dissimilar objects or emotions often with an effect of shock or surprise. In his best poems, Donne mixes the discourses of the physical and the spiritual; over the course of his career, Donne gave sublime expression to both realms. Although seemingly peculiar now, at the time of Donne's life it was thought that each occasion a couple indulged in sexual intercourse, their lives were shortened, however Donne treats this physical side of love as a gateway to something greater. This was how the notion of the divine right of kings arose as the king was 'nearest to God'. Donne is valuable not simply as a representative writer but also as a highly unique one. Donne and his disciples in reality went astray from the stipulate form of poetic imagery and began their own new tradition of the application of metaphysical conceits. John Donne, who as a result of his inner turmoil wrote many a contradictory lyric, had crossover poems that included both references to sensuality and religion. However, unlike Petrarch who considered sexuality a troublesome burden, Donne embrace and encourages the notion of sexuality. He also complained that the various irrelevant thoughts and images are just violently yoked together. This open sexuality which made mention to all the popular subjects for jocose during the Renaissance, gnashed at the sexual sores of society and exposed them for airing.
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Acceptance Essays
