Metaphysical poets

Metaphysical Poetry

This blog is in response to the classwork on the unit of Metaphysical poets covered under Dr. Dilip Barad sir. We learnt this unit in a unique way that is flipped learning.

Flipped learning is a new learning approach in which the learners are instructed in their work and they complete their learning in their own individual learning space. In the same way we were also instructed in our google classroom to attend the video lectures of Dr. R.K. Mandaliya Sir which recorded in and online mode last year and were published as a playlist of 6 videos in Dilip Barad sir’s YouTube channel. Along with , we were instructed to write a blog on it and to get a handwritten answer dictated by Mandaliya sir. It was my first flipped learning experience. In flip learning we get a chance of learning in our comfortable zone. As the lectures were previously recorded it became easier to learn. We can pause, re-listen, and understand along with a personal and comfortable place. It was a new and great experience.

Metaphysical poetry- It is a group of poems that share a common characteristic; They are highly intellectualized, use rather strange imagery, use frequent paradoxes and contain extremely complicated thought.

The word metaphysical in a combination of two words. i.e., meta + physical. The prefix 'meta' means ‘after’ and the whole phrase metaphysical means ‘after physical.’

John Donne is a Pioneer of Metaphysical Poetry and the followers of Donne are known as his school. George Herbert, Andrew Marvel and Richard Crashaw are the members of this school. Henry Vaughan, Thomas Treharne and Abraham Cowley are also important metaphysical poets. Their work has considerably influenced the poetry of the 20th century.

The term metaphysical poetry was coined by Samuel Johnson in his biographical work with the title ‘Lives of the most Eminent English Poets’ (1779-81) while writing the biography of Abraham Cowley. Dr. Johnson passed a remarkable comment that, ‘The poetry of the Metaphysical poets stood a trial of their finger but failed in the trail of the ears.’ In the biography Johnson wrote About metaphysical poems and poets in a derogatory sense but with passing of time the same term became the term of appraisal.

Metaphysical poetry emerged in the latter half of the 16th century. It was a conscious attempt by this group of poets to differ from the writing style of predecessors and an attempt for a unique identity. It was not that Metaphysical poets wrote poetry on new, different or complex topics. They wrote poems of the Same topics like religion and love but to bring a uniqueness in their work they used complex metaphors. Predecessors used the images or metaphors from the fields which were related to poetry while metaphysical poets made an attempt to use completely odd metaphors or images, they used far-fetched metaphors which had no direct connection with the field of the poem. They were also from different fields of education like biology, architecture, mechanical engineering, math etc. 

For example, while writing a love poem the previous poets used the metaphor like rose, honey bee etc. In its place metaphysical poet; John Donne used the flea (an insect) as a metaphor in his love poem.

They made an attempt to write differently from their predecessors because if they would have written in the same form and style people might get fed-up of reading the same type of poetry and no one will mark their contribution in English literature.

“No tradition remains for long time” 

-Mathew Arnold

Also, the standard of education, intellectuality, and literacy increased in the Elizabethan age so the poets tried to be intellectual in the writing of their poetry. Critic Helen C. White mentions-

“It was a demand of time for the metaphysical poets to differ from the poets of previous age. Had they continued writing poetry in the same manner, just like the former poets they would have been rejected by the readers.”

General characteristics of metaphysical poetry-

• The Metaphysical poets try to find a connection between the abstract and the concrete, the remote and the near in describing his experience of emotional reality.
• Metaphysical poetry is spiritual & has often religious themes. Moreover, it focuses on love, as the union of souls.
• The most important characteristic of metaphysical poetry is “undissociated sensibility” - the combination of feeling and thoughts.
• Metaphysical poetry displays a fine interspersing of emotions, sensibilities, memories and reasons.
• The metaphysical poets introduced the concept of conceits - A conceit is the bringing together of very unlikely ideas to produce a new idea.
• Metaphysical poets create wild conceits. The poets steal all fields of knowledge, science as well as nature for comparisons. They try to yoke contradictory things together. They link two different areas of experience.
• The Metaphysical poets combine dissimilar ideas without attempting to unite them. The real obstacle in understanding metaphysical poetry is its novelty. They use private symbolism, which the reader finds difficult to understand.
• They used informal language to bring about dramatic realism.
• Metaphysical poets were the men of learning and they wanted to show it through their poetry. 
• Dr. Johnson says- “ no man could be born a metaphysical poet.”
• Using wit has been a prominent feature of Metaphysical poets. In the context of Metaphysical Poetry, the excessive use of intellectual ideas is referred to as wit.
• These poems usually start off from certain events or actions. E.g.; Mark but this flea, and mark in this…. The Flea by John Donne.
• The language used in metaphysical poetry is simple and easy to understand, lacking elevated and ornate speech, which is found in classical writings.
• Metaphysical poetry is considered to be brief & concise. Every line conveys a lot of meanings in a few words.
• Platonic love is one of the prominent features of metaphysical poetry. Platonic love - means spiritual love, which is free from elements of physical love.

Here I am talking briefly about a few metaphysical poems.

You can read original poems by clicking on title.

1. Holy Sonnet X

Holy Sonnet X is written by John Donne, Holy sonnets are famous by its first line and it is well-known with title ‘Death be not Proud.’ ‘Holy sonnets are the sonnets which specifically refers to something related to spirituality, god almighty, sins and repentance.’ This sonnet is addressed to death. The aim of the poet behind writing this sonnet is to nullify the fear of death. The poet says that death is a slave of fate, chance, kings and desperate men and it dwells in poison, sickness and war.

If the poet is asked to draw a picture of death he would draw a picture of a man enjoying sound sleep. The poet also finds the remarkable difference between how death causes sleep and sleep caused by mother.

"One short sleep past, we wake eternally"

This line suggests that John Donne believes in the theory of re- birth. This is how he ends the poem by convincing all that there will be no fear of death and death itself will die because nobody will be afraid of it.

2. The Flea

As we saw in general characteristics of metaphysical poetry, the poet steals metaphors from different fields of education. Here in this poem the poet John Donne has used the insect Flea- a biological term to express the love of a lover to his beloved. The poem is addressed to a beloved. Flea is an insect which sucks the blood.

"And in this flea our two bloods mingled be;

Thou know’st that this cannot be said

A sin, nor shame, nor loss of maidenhead,"

Here in the poem the lover explains to his beloved that for whatever she denied to her lover has already happened. The flea has sucked the blood of the lover and is now sucking the blood of his beloved. In the flea their blood has already become one and it hasn't caused any sin or shame, has not even caused the loss of honor or maidenhood. The insect swells after sucking their blood which shows that it is happy and if she allows him to advance their happiness will advance. Listening to this argument beloved attempts to kill an insect. The lover refuses and explains that it would be a sin of killing three lives; as it has their mingles love so they two and an insect. But still my beloved kills insects. The lover explains to her that all her ears are false, if she accepts the proposal there won't be any harm to her honor, instead accepting him as a soulmate would increase her honor. In the poem with the help of the image of The Flea the poet remains successful in the expression of the theme of love.

3. The Sun Rising

‘The Sun Rising’ is another poem by John Donne. The poem is addressed by the lover to the rising sun. Here the rising sun is used as a metaphysical image to deal with the theme of love. Generally the rising sun symbolizes new hope and optimism but here it is a symbol of love. In the poem the lover is criticizing the sun rise by saying ‘Busy old fool, unruly sun’. He calls him unruly as he peeps through the windows and curtains into the bedroom of his and his beloved and makes it clear to the rising sun that it cannot regulate or control them through its movement. Going ahead the lover tries to suppress the sunrays by saying that he can cause an eclipse with a moment by closing his eyes but he cannot afford to lose sight of his beloved. Extending the address he informs sunrise that his beloved is the center of the universe. Also says that the sun is not half happy as they both are.

"Shine here to us, and thou art everywhere;

This bed thy center is, these walls, thy sphere."

And at the end he says to the sun that if it shines there to give light and warmth to his beloved it would be equal to giving it to the whole world and his beloved is the center of the universe. ‘The Sun Rising’ is treated as a negative tone to sharpen the theme of love.

4. To His Coy Mistress

‘To His Coy Mistress’ is written by one of the members of the Donne’s school. Andrew Marvell has made a use of an image from an agricultural field.it is also a love poem, addressed to beloved by his lover. In this poem the beloved is very coy- shy and the lover tries to convince her that they do not have enough time so she should not waste time by being shy. They have a limited time of youth. Lover says that if they had enough time and space he would have spent more time praising her and planning a trip with her. The lover explains that if they had enough time he would have spent ten hundred years praising her even if she would object to his proposal. He would have spent hundred years praising her eyes and two hundred years in praising her breast and thirty thousand years in praising the rest of the body because she. Her beloved deserves this kind of honor.

"But at my back I always hear

Time’s wingèd chariot hurrying near;

And yonder all before us lie

Deserts of vast eternity."

But the winged chariot of death is behind them. Also the grave is a private and peaceful place to meet but there they won't be able to express or respond to their love. He compares the span of youth with the morning dew drop on the flower petal. The poem ends with the request of the lover that both should make their time a quality time by responding to each other's love. The last lines are-

"Thus, though we cannot make our sun

Stand still, yet we will make him run."

5. The Collar

The collar poem is written by George Herbert. Here the title The Collar is suggesting the yoke towards the religion. This Poem shows his serving towards Christianity. The poem is addressed by the sinner and the two selves of the sinner are at the war with each other. The poem sounds like a monologue. Sinner comes across the board and alters which inspires him to leave the life of material pleasure. He feels himself free to take a path of his consciousness, his desire to restore himself in the heart of almighty.

"On double pleasures: leave thy cold dispute

Of what is fit and not. Forsake thy cage,

Thy rope of sands,"

While the heart, the free will of Sinner is not ready to get bound by anything. The free will warms sinners to forget the cold war of what is good and what is not good and instigates by saying ‘ Be thy law’. But the sinner is firm on his decision and decides to listen to his lord, conscience and not his free will.

"Methought I heard one calling, Child!

And I replied My Lord."

In the end of the poem the sinner hears someone calling him “child!” and he parts with the world of material pleasure.

This is my understanding of metaphysical poets, poems and its characteristics. I have very briefly explained the poems here. I hope this blog is easily understandable and helpful. For queries please comment. Thanks for visiting.

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