Donne’s writings all vary from poems to sonnets to prose. But the one thing that stood out most the most to me was his poem “Song.” Most of his poems had some sort of structural symmetry, but this one varies greatly compared to his others. Honestly, I really can not figure out what this poem is about. And that’s one reason I wanted to post about it. To see if I could get some opinions on what its about.
Go and catch a falling star,
Get with child a mandrake root,
Tell me where all past years are,
Or who cleft the Devil's foot,
Teach me to hear mermaids singing,
Or to keep off envy's stinging,
And find
What wind
Serves to advance an honest mind.
If thou be'st born to strange sights,
Things invisible to see,
Ride ten thousand days and nights,
Till age snow white hairs on thee;
Thou, when thou return'st, wilt tell me
All strange wonders that befell thee,
And swear
No where
Lives a woman true, and fair.
If thou find'st one, let me know,
Such a pilgrimage were sweet;
Yet do not, I would not go,
Though at next door we might meet:
Though she were true, when you met her,
And last, till you write your letter,
Yet she
Will be
False, ere I come, to two or three.
The structure of this poem give emphasis to the last lines in each stanza. The last three lines in each begin with two lines that are indented and only contain two words a piece. These four words are clearly emphasized for a reason. This reason partially evades me because I’m not really certain of the story behind Donne’s words. Though in the last stanza he is obviously talking about finding a women and being somehow disappointed.
I know Ruminations are supposed to be about what we know, but I was intrigued by this poem and really wanted to understand what was going on.
Unfortunatly this blog sucks and does not keep the format of the poem. You can find it in your book on page 1264.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea, Becca, and it's fine to Ruminate on what you don't know--it invites discussion--but do be sure to edit and fill out the post a bit more to get full credit. Typically I approve (that is, give full credit for) all Ruminations that meet the specs; with this one, even counting Donne's poem, you're well under the word limit...
ReplyDeleteOne suggestion: since you're unhappy with the formatting of the poem, why not use one of the digital images of a 17th C printing, which might also inspire more ideas?
I believe Donne poem is about how unlikely one can find the “perfect women.” In the first stanza Donne is looking for the perfect women, while searching he declares that women are tricky and can fool you to believe that they are someone they are not. “Get with child a mandrake root.” In the second stanza he tells what he thinks the perfect women would be like and no matter how long it takes him he will search for her. "Till age snow white hairs on thee.” In the last stanza he tells that finding the perfect women is without a question impossible to do so you might as well give up. Even if you do find her most likely she would be gone before you know it “If thou find'st one, let me know.”
ReplyDeleteI do apologize for the shortness of the Rumination but I was really unsure of what to write about since I didn't know a lot about the poem. I was planning on editing it once I got a few comments on it and found out what others thought it was about. Also, when I looked at the original 17th century text there was only one difference and that was the 6th line in each stanza is also indented which was changed in the Norton edition.
ReplyDeleteJamie: Wow. I definintely see the poems intentions now that you've helped to explain what you got from it. The one thing thats still getting me in the signifigance of the structure.
Donne's use of structure in this poem is to emphasize the sarcastic undertone of his belief of not finding the perfect women.
ReplyDeleteI feel that this poem personifies what it means to be impossible. Mandrake roots, when lifted from the ground scream and kill whoever pulled them, shooting stars are beyond ones grasp, one cannot cleft the devils foot and mermaids do not exist. This goes hand-in-hand with jealousy; it too is impossible to deny or shrug off.
ReplyDeleteEven if a person rides for ten thousand days, it is impossible to find "a woman true, and fair."
The last stanza emphasizes this. One may think they have found the perfect woman, yet it is still a lie...