The term ' METAPHYSICAL' is loosely applied to a group of 17th century poets such as John Donne, Andrew Marvell, Henry Vaughan, George Herbert and Richard Crawhaw. The word 'meta' means 'after,' so the literal translation of 'metaphysical' is 'after the physical.' Basically, metaphysics deals with questions that can't be explained by science. It questions the nature of reality in a philosophical way.
Metaphysical poetry is a little bit different. The poems classified in this group do share common characteristics: they are all highly intellectualized, use rather strange imagery, use frequent paradox and contain extremely complicated thought.However, metaphysical poetry is not regarded as a genre of poetry. In fact, the main poets of this group didn't read each other's work and didn't know that they were even part of a classification.These poets did not belong to a school of poetry, but we're united bt “common characteristics of wit, inventiveness and a love of elaborate stylistic manoeuvres”. Their poetry was rich in intellectual complexity.
⚫COMMON FEATURES OF METAPHYSICAL POETRY:⚫
Metaphysical poetry is characterised by a single, complex and concentrated thought.
It is intellectually rigorous.
It employs bold and ingenious conceits, also called metaphysical conceits. Johnson called it “A combination of dissimilar images”. Eg., In his poem A Valediction: Forbidden Mourning, Donne compares the two lovers to a compass.
It employs unusual images taken from different fields of knowledge, history, geography, astronomy, alchemy, mathematics, etc.
It has a dramatic quality to it and often has an abrupt aggressive opening.
It frequently makes use of paradox. For instance, in his poem, Batter my Heart , the speaker appeals to God,
“Take me to you, imprison me, for I
Except you enthral me, never shall be free,
Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me"
The elevation of Metaphysical poet owes a great deal to HC Grierson's Introduction to Metaphysical Lyrics and Poems of the Seventeenth Century published in 1912. After this, the reputation of metaphysical soared as a result of TS Eliot's path breaking critical essay The Metaphysical Poets. According to him, metaphysical poets like Donne fused thought and emotion.
⚫ General characteristics of Metaphysical poetry ⚫
A group of poets emerged in the second half of the 16th century, whose poetry is defined as the Metaphysical poetry . It was Dr. Samuel Johnson a classic ist of the Neo clasical age who named the poetry of Donne and his school as ' The Metaphysical poetry ' 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 criticise the 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 . Johnson has passed one remarkable comment stating that the poetry of the Metaphysical poets stood a trial of their finger but failed in trial of the ears .' That Dr. Johnson wants to state that there is no music and rhythm in their poetry.
The Metaphysicals - John Donne , George Herbert , Richard Crashaw and Andrew Marvel made a conscious attempt to differ from other and particularly from the previous poets . So that their poetry may be noticed by the reader. One critic Helen C. White mentions that ite was the demand of the 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 reader. Due to new learning and reformation of the Elizabethan age , the intellectual level of the readers and gone upward and so the metaphysical poets tried to be intellectual in writing of these poetry. By
The best for the Metaphysicals to differ from the previous poets and to be intellectual in the writing of their poetry was to used , ' far , fetched, images and conceits ' they tried to avoid using images form those fields which were thickly associated with the theme of their poetry .
In order to express either love or their faith in Christianity they brought their images from different fields just like biology , architecture , engineering , agriculture , geometry, geography and even political science . This gave unique identity to their poetry a number of examples can be given about how they brought images from distant and remote fields . The first example is of John Donne who made use of a biological image - The Flea for the expression of love in his poem . The title of that poem is " 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 Pulley " . Pulley is an image of mechanical engineering but in his poem that image is used to state that restless in also a pulley which gives a connection between the creator the creation Andrew Marvel made use of geometrical images for the expression of love the example " To His Coy Mistress " in brief all the Metaphysical poets made extensive use of far fetched images in their poetry .
Highlighting one remarkable feature of the Metaphysical poetry . Dr. Johnson states that their stood their a trial of their finger but not of the ear the 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 .
⚫ (Holy) sonnet no. 10 " Death Be Not Proud "⚫
Holy sonnet X "Death Be Not Proud"
" Death Be Not Proud " is a well known holy sonnet by John Donne this sonnet is addressed by the poet to death itself . The aim of the poet behind writing this sonnet is to nullify (reduce) the fear of death the poet has presented altogether a different picture of death in the present sonnet .
The sonnet opens with the poet's instructions to death that there is no need for death to be proud of anything. Ofcourse there are people who consider death mighty and dangerous but the poet believes that death is neither mighty nor dangerous death believes that it has the capacity to kill people . But the poet is of the opinion that death is neither mighty nor dangerous , it has no capacity to kill anybody if the poet is asked to draw a picture of death , the poet would draw a picture of man enjoying sound sleep and taking rest if death offers rest and sound sleep to the people , pleasure should be derived out of death and nobody should be afraid of death .
The poet gives one example to nullify fear of death . Even the best of human beings have gone with death the sonnet one can give a number of examples to prove that the best of people go with death without getting disturbed and many of them have gone the soonest we can give the examples of " Keats " and "Kalapi " who left this world very soon .
According to the poet death is a slave of for elements . Those for elements are " fate , chance , kings and a man in distress " the meaning is death comes to a person only when death is decided by fate or chance or a King or a man in distress there are three residential places for death to live those places are " poison , war and sickness . " The meaning is who so ever invites sickness or poison or war , such a person invites death , death always lives in poison, sickness and war the poet finds one remarkable difference between how death causes sleep and how sleep is caused by a mother death cause a sleep in a sudden stroke but mother's charms and her motherly affection cause sleep very slowly and gently .
The poet concludes this sonnet saying that death is nothing more than a short sleep after one short sleep we get up with eternally and this statement of John Donne indicates that Donne belived in the theory of rebirth. If death is treated in this manner , nobody will be afraid of death . This is how at the end of the poem John Donne tries to convince all that there will be no fear of death and death itself will die because nobody will be afraid of death .
⚫ The Flea ⚫
The Flea by John Donne is a metaphysical poem in a real sense of the term . the poet uses a biological image of the Flea in order to express his love for his beloved, the Flea is a small insect which survives by sucking blood from the skin of animals , it is very small in size and it flies from the spot where it sucks blood the biological image of this insect is taken help of by the poet for the expression of his love for beloved .
The poem is addressed by the poet - the lover to his beloved , the poet ask his beloved to see that Flea which has sucked his blood and now it is sucking the blood of his beloved , and poet wants to convey that whatever was denied by the poet's beloved . That has already happened . Their bloods have become one and yet .it has not caused any sin or shame, it has not even caused the loss of honour and her maidenhood the poet wants to convince her that whatever she disliked has happened through the Flea and that insect is swelling which reflects lits happiness if she allows him to advance , that would multiply their happiness .
Listening to such an argument of the lover , his beloved makes an attempt to kill that insect the lover request her not to kill that insect because killing that insect because killing that insect as good as three lives , since their bloods are in that Flea , it would be his death , her self murder and also the death of that Flea , the requests her not to commit such a sin by killing that insect .
If she kills that insect , it would be the death of three lives at a time so his request to her is to spare the life of that Flea the lover wants her to realise that through their bloods have mingled it has neither reduced her owner nor it has brought the sense of shame to her the believes that her parents and she self grudge unnecessarily but the beloved does not follow the request of her lover she kills that insect and purples her nails with the blood of that insect the death of that Flea has neither taken life of the lover nor of his beloved . He wants her to learn and realise that all her fears are falls . If she agrees to his proposal and accepts it , there is no loss of honour at all . On the contrary accepting him as her soulmate would give him additional honour to that lady .
The Flea becomes a metaphysical poem as in the present poem the poet depends upon the image of flea To deal with the theme of love . It is through the image of this insect - The Flea that the protagonist is expressed the poet does not find it essential to bring the image of the rose or the honey bee or the butterfly . Simply with the help of the image of the Flomiea . The poet remains successful the expression of the theme of love .
⚫ The Sunrising ⚫
The Sunrising by John Donne is an ideal example of the use of the metaphysical image to deal with the theme of love John Donne employes the image of the rising sun for dealing with the theme of love . The rising sun is an image which is generally used for the expression of a new hope and optimism but John Donne employes this image for dealing with the theme of love the poem is addressed by the lover to the rising sun and the tone of the poet is to criticise the rising sun . The rising sun is generally welcomed by people but here in the present poem the lover is unhappy with the rising sun and he rebukes the rising sun .
The poem opens with the lovers addressed to the rising sun in which he criticise the sun calling the sun is always busy because every morning the sun rises and every evening it sets . The sun is unruly in a sense that it peeps through the windows and curtains into the bedroom of the lover and his beloved . The makes it clear to the rising sun that the life style of the lovers can not be controlled or regulated through the movement of the sun lovers have their own way of life and the sun can not have command over it , the lover advises the rising sun to go school children , workers, employees of the king and courtiers of the king they will regulate their life as per the movement of the sun lovers have their own way of life and do not accept the command of the sun on their way of life . The lovers are beyond the seasons and the climate created by the sun , the lovers have nothing to do with different units of time just like moments , minutes , hours , days , weeks , months and years . These units of time are nothing but rags of time for the lovers , the lover makes it clear to the rising sun that the rising sun can not regulate and command the life of lovers.
Going ahead the lover had some more remarks to pass on the rising sun , the sun should never think and believe that it's raise are very powerful . The lover can cause an (eclipse) within a moment by closing his eyes but he does not want to do that because even for a moment he cannot afford losing the sight of his beloved the lover believes that the eyes of his beloved have enough shine to behind the sun he suggests the rising sun to take a round off the earth and to come the next morning with a realisation that the India of spices and all other precious things are in his bedroom , in the form of his beloved .
Extending his address to the rising sun , the lover informs the sun that his beloved is the centre of the universe she is all states , all princess and all kings those kings and princess and all do nothing but imitate the lover and his beloved . Compared to this imotion of love , all honour is fake and all wealth is nothing but chemistry- metal his beloved is center of the universe . The lover goes onto the extend of saying that the sun is not half so happy as the lover and his beloved are happy . Since his beloved is the centre of the universe , the lover tells the sun to shine there to give light there and to give warmth there . It would be as good as giving light shine and warmths everywhere he wants the rising sun to believe and accept that the bed is the sun's center and four walls of that room is the sphere for the sun .
In the present poem the attempt made by John Donne is to universalises the noble the noble imotion of love , if love is there in the life , all happiness is there and all happiness is futile if there is no love . The rising sun is treated here in a negative tone here to sharpen the theme of love .
⚫ Coy Mistress - by Andrew Marvel ⚫
To his " Coy Mistress " is a poem with metaphysical conceit and it proves Andrew Marvel a real follower of the school of John Donne . Marvel had made here use of an image from the field of agriculture for the expression of love the present poem deals with the theme of love. But the theme of love but the image that is used here is from the field of agriculture .
The poem is addressed by a lover to his beloved she is very Coy - shy and the lover tries to convince her that since they do not have enough time , she should not be shy the lover considers her shyness a crime because within limited time and space they have to love each other the lover gives an account of how he would have loved her , praised her , had he enough time and space but the lover knows that they have neither enough time nor space to express love it is within time of youth that they have to live and so he suggests her not to be coy .
The lover describes in detail how he would have loved her had enough time and space . He would have continued expressing his love for 10 long years and he would no have objected . Even if the lady would have said , 'No' to his lover , he would have passed hundred years in praising her eyes two hundred years he would have spent in praising her each breast , for the remaining of her body , he would have used thirty thousand years to praise he believes that his beloved deserves this kind of honour .
The lover would like to pass his time very lavishly in her company but the time is different he hears every moment the winged chariot of time approaching very towards them it refers to death the lover known that none can escape from the clutch of time and so he requests his beloved to except his love without being Coy and shy . Once they die , they will mingle with dust and live in their grave . No doubt grave is a private and peaceful place but once they go , They will never be able to express love . His song will never get the effect of echo at present his love is responded by her but once they go to grave , there will be no response from her side .
The lover tries to convince her that the Span of youth is as short as the life of a dew drop on the petal of a flower on the petal of a flower right now when both are passing through the prime time of youth , she should not be shy , Coy and reject his love since they are passing through this flower of youth , they should utilise it and devour it before it is too late . The poem ends with a request of the lover that both should make their time a quality time by responding to love of eachother . It is not possible for them to stop the movement of the sun but at least they can make their time a quality time .
⚫ The Collar - by George Herbert ⚫
George Herbert is also one of the members of the school of Donne , just like Andrew Marvel the title of the collection of George Herbert's poetry is " The Temple ". He wrote his poems to serve Christianity and " The Collar " is an example of it .
The poem is addressed by a sinner and to selves of that sinner are at war with each other the poem sounds like a monologue as the sinner speakes on behalf of his heart and also on behalf of his desire to live life freely . The word "Collar" stands for a yoke . So far the yoke of the sinner was bent towards the life of material pleasures but now it is shifting towards christianity , the sinner has come that is enough to inspire him to live the life of material pleasures .
The sinner is now no more willing to live the life of sigh and suffering . He feels that he is free to take any path given to him by his conscience , his desire is to restore himself in the heart of God almighty . So far he has simply sown thrones but now he wants to have some good harvest of good deeds , so that he can be restored he wants to have the flowers and garland and so he would like to do good deeds.
When the heart of the sinner speakes in this manner , it is responded by his free will . The will of the sinner is not ready to be bound by anything the request of the heart is responded negatively by the desire for free life . his free will warns the sinner to forget cold dispute about what is good and what is not good . The free will instigates the sinner to live life freely by negatively the cage of what is good and what is not good the free will tells the heart of the sinner tells the sinner to follow law and freewill of the sinner tells the sinner to neglect all laws.
The sinner in the present poem is now form firm as he would like to listen to his lord and not to freewill . The sinner now knows , " He that forebears to suit and serves his needs, deserves his load " simply this decision of the sinner is enough the sinner experience someone calling him " Child" the sinner gives a reply ," My Lord ". The final decision of the sinner in the present poem is to surrender to God and part with the life material pleasures.
⚫ My opinion ⚫
I would like to learn these poems and also it's very easy for me to understand all five poems , because of the easy and brief teaching method of professor R.K mandaliya sir , and also it's helpful for me to analysis all these poems and write about it .
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