Introduction
John Donne was a famous English poet. He belonged to Elizabethan age. He was famous for his Love and religious sonnet. This poem was part of collection ‘Songs and Sonnets’ published posthumously in 1633.
Central Idea of The Sun Rising
This is a metaphysical love poem. Poem comprises that poet loves his wife very much and he doesn’t want anyone to disturb them. According to the poet love is most powerful force in the world encompasses everything in itself.
Considering this assumption poet scolds sun for disturbing them in the morning.
Themes
Authority of love – The main theme of the poem is authority of love. Poet has developed idea that whole world exists in the room of poet and his beloved (wife). Lovers comprise the whole world inside their room. They have all the happiness and power of the world inside four walls of their bed room. He and his wife being lovers are the rulers of this world. In a nutshell poet has tried to prove power and superiority of love over rest of the things of this world.
Subduing power of nature- Nature who is supposed to be considered as supreme is subdued here. Sun is the power source of the world and schedule of the world runs around the sun hence it has ultimate authority over starting and ending of a day. But as lovers poet has denied that authority of sun over lovers. Sun won’t decide when it is morning or night for the lovers. Lovers know no climate.
Figure of speech
- Personification- Sun has been personified.
- Alliteration- There is a beautiful instance of alliteration where ‘th’ sound is continuously being repeated in this line- ‘This bed thy centre is, these walls, thy sphere’.
- Consonance- ‘Call Country’ has repetition of consonant /c/ but there is change of vowels just after that hence its consonance.
- Assonance- ‘no season knows nor’ has repetition of vowel sound ‘o’.
- Metaphor- ‘Country ants’ is a metaphor for farmers.
- Rhetorical Question- ‘Must to thy motions lovers’ seasons run? is a rhetorical question as it’s not a question but a device to use glorified language.
- Polysyndeton – ‘Nor clime’, ‘Nor hours’ have repetition of ‘Nor’ conjunction hence it’s polysyndeton.
- Hyperbole- Line ‘If her eyes have not blinded thine’ has hyperbole as poet is praising sparkling eyes of his beloved and saying to sun that you would have been blinded by the shine of my beloved’s eyes.
Metaphysical poem
Donne was a master of metaphysical poems. This poem was a metaphysical poem too. It has various elements like complexity, intellectual tone, merging of far-fetched ideas like ‘Lovers’ bedroom and whole world’ through imagery of revolution of sun makes this poem a classical metaphysical poem.
Bold thoughts by poet
Firstly poet has scolded the sun for disturbing them as sun is merely a child. Poet has used very harsh and disrespecting words like ‘busy old fool’ and ‘saucy pedantic wretch’ towards sun. Then later on poet soften his attitude towards sun considering its old age and invited it to stay in their bed room. Hence these thoughts can be considered as bold.
Medieval Astronomical theory
It was considered till medieval times that Earth is centre of the world and sun revolves around it. This theory or thought is made base of this poem too where poet repeated remarks that sun go around the Earth and witness happenings. Even at the end of the poem poet states ‘This bed thy centre is, these walls, thy sphere’ which is for sun to revolve around the room of lovers as he does around the Earth.
Structure and Rhyme Scheme
Poem is divided into three stanzas of ten lines each. It has rhyme scheme of abbacdcdee.
Conclusion
This was a typical love poem by John Donne in which he tried to establish supremacy of love. He used lyrical language to show universal effect of love. He first admonish sun later on helps him in his duties by allowing him to shine on room of lovers and do his duty to lighten up whole world. Hence poet has constricted whole world into his bedroom.
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