The Sun Rising | Donne Poetry : Thinking Literature

The poem “The Sun Rising” by John Donne is a fine example of metaphysical poetry that explores themes of love, disobedience and the speaker’s own world in connection to nature. Donne’s poem enthralls readers with its humorous language, witty conceits, and profound philosophical reflections. It was written in the 17th century, a time when metaphysical poets strove to combine intellectual and emotional qualities in their poems. Donne defies the conventional authority of the sun and enhances the power of love by using vivid imagery and rhetorical techniques, highlighting the enduring and all-pervasive quality of genuine devotion.

Table of Contents

First Stanza:

The opening line of “The Sun Rising” establishes the tone for the whole poem as the speaker complains to the sun about intruding into his personal space. The first line of the verse is harsh and disparaging, calling the sun a “busy old fool” and a “unruly sun,” suggesting that its deeds are dumb and disruptive. This creates an impression of opposition between the speaker and the natural world.

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The sun’s constant presence is questioned by the speaker, who wonders why it keeps peeping through the curtains and windows and entering the couple’s private space. The phrase “call” conveys a sense of obtrusive aggression, as though the sun were audaciously rousing the pair from their sleep. This emphasizes the speaker’s wish for a private, uninterrupted place for love.

The speaker then questions the sun’s supposed control over the seasons of lovers. He implies that love is not susceptible to outside forces or traditional concepts of time by asking whether the motions of the sun determine the timing and duration of love. The speaker makes the claim that love persists irrespective of the sun’s power over the seasons and is unaffected by climate shifts.

The speaker’s critique of the sun is heightened by Donne‘s choice of epithets. Using harsh words, he calls the sun a “saucy pedantic wretch,” downplaying its significance and disdaining its deeds. The speaker continues to argue that the sun should focus on less important tasks like reprimanding tardy students and apprentice workers, telling court huntsmen of the king’s whereabouts, and calling on rural ants to do their harvesting chores. These illustrations convey a feeling of sarcasm and mockery by showing how unneeded and excessive the sun’s attention to the lovers is.

The speaker’s conviction that love transcends temporal boundaries is emphasized in the first stanza’s concluding lines. He asserts that love is unaffected by the passing of time’s elements, such as seasons, climates, and the dividing of the day into hours, days, and months. This idea suggests that love lives in a domain beyond time’s bounds, challenging the common view of time as a linear and regulating force.

The Second Stanza:

The second stanza of “The Sun Rising” goes deeper into the speaker’s declaration of his loved one’s supremacy and his rejection of the sun. The speaker asks why the sun, with its respected and potent beams, would think it has any superiority over him in the beginning of the stanza. The word “reverend” conveys a feeling of holiness and power connected to the sun, yet the speaker disputes this idea.

The speaker then claims to have control over the sun’s rays and to be able to quickly eclipse and overshadow them with the blink of an eye. But because he doesn’t want to lose sight of his sweetheart, he holds back from doing so. This demonstrates how the speaker values his loved one’s presence more than any show of strength or domination. Additionally, it demonstrates the speaker’s unshakeable commitment and his determination not to allow anything—including his own abilities—interfere with his relationship with his lover.

The speaker challenges the sun to look into his beloved’s mesmerizing eyes, implying that they have such brilliant light that they could have blinded the sun itself. This metaphor expresses the speaker’s feelings of profound beauty and enchantment when he looks into his loved one’s eyes. He invites the sun to examine and confirm the truth of his assertion, and he requests that it report back the next day. The speaker’s assurance in his beloved’s remarkable traits is further emphasized by this light-hearted challenge.

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The speaker challenges the sun once more, this time posing the question of whether the riches and treasures of the East (referred to as “th’ Indias of spice”) and the priceless resources of the New World (“mine”) are still there where the sun last left them or if they have been concentrated in the speaker’s private moments with his beloved. The speaker implies that their love is more valuable and significant than any worldly wealth by contrasting the enormous riches of the globe with the closeness of their shared bed.

In addition, the speaker challenges the sun to ask about the monarchs it saw the day before, seemingly hinting that they all currently share a bed with him and his sweetheart. By implying that the source of ultimate satisfaction and oneness lies inside the domain of love, this remark dismisses the significance of hierarchical power structures and the world’s power structures.

Third Stanza:

The speaker of “The Sun Rising” elaborates on the absolute value of his beloved and the limitations of material prosperity and power in the third stanza. It demonstrates the speaker’s view of his lover as including all states and all princes, suggesting that she possesses attributes that go beyond the duties and statuses given to her by society.

The speaker says that in comparison to his lover, he is nothing. This claim highlights the lofty position that the speaker accords to his lover, putting her at the center of his existence. The idiom “Princes do but play us” implies that individuals in positions of authority are just involved in petty activities when contrasted to the profundity and significance of the love the speaker and his lover share. It claims that the transformational force of love transcends traditional ideas of dignity and material accomplishment.

The stanza continues with the idea that love is the only thing that truly matters and has worth, and that all other types of honor and money are nothing more than imitations. The speaker draws a comparison between the unmatched delight felt by the lovers and the alleged bliss of the sun. According to him, the sun is only half as content as they are because the vastness and complexity of the universe are condensed and simplified in the personal space shared by the lovers. This suggests that in light of their strong relationship, the vast world becomes less meaningful.

The speaker recognizes that the sun warms the earth, but he asserts that given its advanced age, the sun should take it easy and relax. The speaker argues that as the sun’s main responsibility is to warm the entire world, it also serves this function by warming the lovers. The speaker’s argument that their love is the most important thing further supports their conviction that it is the ultimate source of comfort and pleasure.

The speaker in the third stanza suggests that their shared bed is the center of the universe in the last lines of the third stanza when he asks for the sun to shine directly on them. This metaphorical assertion highlights their personal space as the center of their existence, downplaying the importance of exterior boundaries and highlighting their relationship as the core, all-encompassing sphere.

Major Themes in “The Sun Rising”:

The major themes present in “The Sun Rising” by John Donne include:

Love and commitment: The poem’s main theme is love, and the speaker expresses his fervent commitment to his beloved. Love is represented as a strong force that is independent of space, time, and human problems. The speaker questions the sun’s dominance throughout the poem and places his relationship with his lover above everything else, demonstrating his unshakable devotion to her.
Refusal and Assertion of Individuality: The speaker’s refusal to acknowledge the sun’s incursion symbolizes a larger theme of reclaiming autonomy and individuality. The sun tries to control him and intrude on his personal space, but he fights back. As the speaker places his beloved above established rules and hierarchies, he also challenges societal conventions and expectations.
Transcendence of Time and Space: Through the power of love, the poem examines the idea of transcending our understanding of Time and Space. The speaker denies the sun’s ability to regulate the seasons and casts doubt on the sun’s notions of prosperity and power. The concept of love is portrayed as an eternal and all-pervasive energy that binds the lovers and transcends the constraints imposed by the outside world.
Criticism of Materialism and Worldly Concerns: Donne criticizes the desire of money, honor, and public acclaim, depicting them as hollow imitations in contrast to the intimate connection shared by the lovers. The poem makes the argument that authentic relationships, as opposed to financial things or social standing, are where true contentment and happiness may be found.

The “The Sun Rising” explores a variety of subjects, including materialist criticism, individualism, transcendence, and love. The poem offers a profound and provocative insight on the nature of love and the human experience through its examination of these themes.

Main Symbols in “The Sun Rising”

John Donne uses a number of key symbols in his poem “The Sun Rising,” which add to its overall themes and meaning. The poem’s main symbols are as follows:

The Sun: The sun is a representation of the natural world, authority, and power. It stands in for the outside influences and social expectations that try to encroach on the lovers’ private space. The speaker’s rejection of the sun’s incursion emphasizes his assertion of personal identity and the superiority of love over other forces.
Windows and curtains: Windows and curtains represent the divisions and obstacles that exist between the lovers’ private area and the outer world. The sun’s attempt to pierce the curtains and windows symbolizes its entry into the lovers’ personal space. The speaker’s opposition to the sun’s intrusion is an expression of his wish to maintain and safeguard their close relationship.
Eyes: The eyes of the beloved are a representation of beauty, depth, and enchantment. The speaker claims that they have the ability to blind even the sun. The lovers’ intense bond and the profound effect of their gaze on one another are represented by their eyes.
Bed and Walls: The bed and the walls of the private room symbolize a sanctuary for the lovers, where their love endures and grows. The bed serves as the center of their universe, signifying their harmony and the importance of their relationship. The walls represent the confines of their private realm, protecting them from outside influences and highlighting the sanctity of their love.
Seasons and Time: The reference to the seasons and time represents the cyclical and ephemeral character of the outside world. The speaker rejects the notion that love is influenced by the cyclical nature of the seasons and insists that love is not bound by the constraints of time. This represents their relationship’s eternal and timeless quality.

These symbols deepen the poem’s meaning and support its resonant themes of love, disobedience, individuality, and the transcending of temporal concerns. They add to the poem’s overall intricacy and depth, encouraging readers to ponder the poem’s deeper meaning and explore its symbolic imagery.

Conclusion:

“The Sun Rising” by John Donne is an excellent example of metaphysical poetry that demonstrates the poet’s ability to combine humor, intellectualism, and emotional depth. The poem clearly examines the themes of love, resistance, and the speaker’s affirmation of his beloved’s superiority over outside forces. Readers can relate to Donne’s investigation of these subjects because it serves as a reminder of the importance of close relationships in a world where external forces predominate.