What is metaphysical about John Donne's Poetry?

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An Introduction to John Donne

John Donne was an English poet, priest, lawyer, soldier and scholar who opened his eyes in a Catholic family on January 22, 1572, in London. John Donne is best known for his initial experiment in metaphysical poetry and then achieving success in it. He breathed his last on March 31, 1631.

Metaphysical Poetry

Grierson describes metaphysical poetry as thus,

Poetry inspired by a philosophical concept of the universe and the role assigned to the human spirit in the great drama of existence.

The term metaphysical means things that are beyond existence in the physical universe. It is a journey towards the physical world to the spiritual realm. So, the poetry dealing in metaphysical universe can be termed as metaphysical poetry. John Dryden was the first poet to coin the term 'Metaphysical Poetry' while Samuel Johnson made metaphysical poetry mainstream through his book Most Eminent English Poets. Subjects for Metaphysical Poetry can be included as the solar system, nature, stars and God's association with man. Characteristics of metaphysical poetry are conceit, learning, wit and obscurity.

Donne as a Metaphysical Poet

At first, Dryden, Dr. Johnson and Dowden called Donne a metaphysical poet due to his style. But De Quincey disagreed with them and then one of them alluded to the subject matter of Donne's poetry, that is metaphysical. John Done is a metaphysical poet because his poetry is teamed up with his distinctive passion of learning. His poetry is witty and obscure. It is fueled in "far-fetched conceits".

Learning

The core of metaphysical poetry lies in learning. Metaphysical poets create their genius after learning and their poetry shows their quest for learning. John Donne, the first metaphysical poet, is also moved by learning. His poetic genius is marked by the twist of his vast learning. That is why, his poetry is difficult to interpret. Donne's poetry differentiates between natural knowledge and divine knowledge. In his sonnet Death Be Not Proud, his learning about death's death is showcased,

One short sleep past, Wee wake eternally,
And death shall be no more, Death thou shalt die.

Obscurity

The elements of obscurity can be easily traced in Donne's poetry. His poetry is difficult to understand because Donne mixes up different and dissimilar philosophical and literary values and ideas in one poem which creates vagueness of subject in a reader's mind. That is why Saintsbury calls him a very great and puzzling poet.

Wit

Wit is a clever expression of thought and a remarkable asset of metaphysical poetry. Wit is present everywhere in Donne's poetry. Donne's wit foreshadows the discovery of comparisons and analogies. It is close to life and direct. It goes hands in hands with irony and humour. The Flea can be easily cited for its witty metaphysical approach to poetry.

Conceit

Conceit is a comparison between two different and unlike objects. To simply put, conceit is an unconventional simile with the gift of surprise in it. It is used to reveal wit. Donne's poetry is dominated by surprising conceits. His conceits hide serious subject but their witty use make a reader laugh. The best example can be cited from A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning,

If they be two, they are two so As stiff
Twin compasses are two;
Thy soul, the fix’d foot, makes no show
To move, but doth, if th’ other do.

Here, two lovers are compared with two legs of a mathematical compass. Who would have think so genius!

Another instance of odd conceit can be found in The Flea,
Oh stay! three lives in one flea spare
Where we almost, yea more than married are.
This flea is you and I, and this
Our marriage-bed and marriage-temple is…

Donne gives the idea to his future wife that although they are not married yet. But the flea has sucked the blood of both lover and his beloved, and that blood is mixed in its gut, thus forming the bed of a married couple. [Very creepy John Donne! ]

Conclusion

John Donne perceives love as a spiritual approach but not as a sensual affair. Donne has achieved this through his metaphysical poetry. Dryden aptly sums up,

Donne affects metaphysics not only in his satires but in amorous verses, too, where nature only should reign.