The Good-Morrow byJohn Donne

 

“The Good-Morrow”

-John Donne

 

I wonder by my troth, what thou, and I

Did, till we loved? Were we not weaned till then?

But sucked on country pleasure, childishly?

 Or snorted we in the seven sleepers’ den?

T was so; But this, all pleasures fancies be

If ever any beauty I did see.

Which I desired and got ‘twas but a dream of thee

 

And now good morrow to our waking souls,

Which watch not one another out of fear?

For love, all love of other sights, controls

And makes one little room, an everywhere

Let sea-discoverers to new worlds have gone,

Let maps to other, worlds on worlds have shown,

Let us possess one world each hath one, and is one.

 

My face in thin eye, thine in mine appears,

And true pain hearts do in the faces rest,

Where can we find two better hemispheres?

Without sharp North without declining west?

Whatever dies, was not mixed equally;

If our two loves be one, or thou and I

Love so alike, that none do slacken none can die.

 

 

About The Poet

 

           John Donne was born in 1572 in London to a wealthy ironmonger.  He was brought up as a Roman Catholic and he later joined the Church of England where be become the Dean of St. Paul’s church in 1621.  He is a metaphysical poet of the 17^th century who makes use of abstract metaphysical conceit, that’s complex figures of speech. For instance in his poem: “Death Be Not Proud”.  Donne uses metaphor and paradox to deride death by comparing it to “slave” thou’ art slave to fate, chance and king”.

           Some of the volumes of poetry are; An Anatomy of the World (1611), Progress of the Soul (1612) and Divine poems.  John Donne died March, 31” 1631.

 

Background/Setting of the poem

 

           “The Good Morrow” is a metaphysical poem which is the off shoot of the 17^th century literature (1603-1660).  Metaphysical poetry is a highly intellectual poetry marked by clever extended metaphor, unusual imagery, complex and frequent use of paradox Metaphysical poets were a group of 17^th century; Poet who explored the nature of the world and human life, who used striking imagery at that time.  The term metaphysical poet was coined by Samuel Johnson to describe a group of British poets of the 17^th century, whose works were characterized by the inventive use of conceit to treat themes of love and religion.  Such poems deal with the nature of human existence, truth and knowledge.

           However, “The Good Morrow” which means Good morning explores the theme of perfect love which the poet suddenly discovered.  The poem opens with a question asked by the persona and his beloved as he discusses his past, present and future using a number of symbolism and metaphors.

 

CONTENT ANALYSIS:

Subject Matter/Summary

 

           “The Good Morrow” is a love poem which expresses perfect love that defies all weather.  At the beginning of the poem, the poet laments bitterly the life he led before he met his present love because he sees it as a waste of effort, time and energy.  He describes such needless experience as childish and mere play.  His past love (relationship) cannot be considered to be genuine since he was completely unaware of himself when the love was consummated.  The union in question is self-sufficient and perfect than hemispheres; for it makes the lovers immortal.

 

Stanza One:

 

The poem opens with a rhetorical question as the persona addresses the woman he loves as they awaken in the morning after having spent the night together.  The poet says “Good Morrow” which means good morning; to the poet, the morning is good and memorable because the poet expresses his conviction that their lives only began when they fell in love. Before, they were mere babies in their mothers’ breasts or were indulging in childish love. He says “I wonder by my troth, what thou and I/did, till we loved/were not weaned till then? 

This means that the persona wonders what on earth he was thinking or doing in his past life before they met each other. It probably means that the two lovers have once involved themselves in different childish relationships when they were still in their teenage years which were marred by infatuation or youthful exuberant. The persona has been swelled (consumed) by “Country pleasures; childishly”.  This line has double edge meaning in Donne’s days a reference to gross sexual gratification and children’s behavior or crush which may be unhealthy or a reference to child’s breast feeding stage.  Going by the status and genuineness of his new love, the poet realizes how empty his life was before he met this woman.  He wonders whether he was asleep or unconscious, as he considered that phase of their lives to be as meaningless when he says

“Or snorted we in the seven sleepers, den? Here a reference is made to seven sleepers in Christian and Muslim tradition which is a story of a group of youth (Christian Youths) hidden inside a cave(den) by emperor Decius in Ephesus but instead of suffocating to death the children slept for a long time before they were found alive 300 years later.  Being without his beloved is attributed to those years of isolation which the seven sleepers had spent sleeping.  It means that those years are quite irreverent to his life anymore.

           During those days when he was yet to discover true love he realizes that those pleasures were very artificial and ephemera or fake.  Now the poet has realized that in those days he was like a small child weaned on these materialistic pleasures of the world in the absence of five love which was like mother’s milk to that child.  Also, during those days all objects of beauty that he came across were nothing but mere reflection or shadow of his beloved.  The persona therefore opines “If ever any beauty.  I did see, which, I desired, and got, it’s was but a dream of thee” This means the poet’s beloved is like a beautiful dream which has been turned into reality.  And that his lover is a ding reflection of all he ever desired in life and got.

 

Stanza Two: 

 

In this stanza, the poet expresses full confidence and assurance on his new found love as he salutes his beloved good morning to their evolving souls and love.  He says as souls rise in the light of the new morning of love in their lives, so their hearts are united devoid of any kind of fear of commitment, misunderstanding or losing each other.  Their presence in each other’s life means so much to them that nothing catches their attention or shakes them or separates them anymore as the poet puts it “for love, all love of other sights control”.  This portends that there is no condition on earth that can put them apart. “And make one little room, an everywhere”. 

This implies that the poet or persona intends to turn the one room where they made love into their only world as an emblem which would keep the memory of their true love.  The poet goes further to say that he does not care about how much the explorers or discoverer; expand the boundaries of the world with their discoveries because during those days maritime discoveries were given most importance and attention.  This implies that the nature of love that exists between the persona and his beloved is roomful and large to dominate or occupy the full earth.  Also, the inclusion of map of the world means nothing to the persona since his world comprises just his beloved and him.  Hence, “Let us possess on world, each had me, and is one”.  Their respective worlds have now been fused into one.

This is quite metaphysical because two have become one and one flesh.

 

Stanza Three:

 

The poet goes further to express full admiration for his woman through the use of enormous exaggerations, as he continues to idolize the beauty of the love which he and his beloved share.  Donne says that sometimes he and his beloved stare into each other’s eyes so longingly that they have seen their faces in each other’s eyes so longingly that they have seen their faces in each other’s eyes, for they are now one soul as evident in the first line “My face in thine eye, for they are now one soul as evident is the first line “My face in thy eye, thine in mine appears/and true plain hearts do in the faces rest”.  This reflection of faces in the eyes reveals the true hearts of the lovers.  Their hearts are true, and genuine and spotless in love.  This also implies that their love for each other enables the lovers to get rid of all their bad habits and harsh feelings towards the world which helps them become better people.  The poet pushes further to add that unlike the world which is divided into hemispheres, their world of true love knows no boundary and season.  It does not have a Sharp Cold Northern Hemisphere nor does it possess a Western Hemisphere which has to give way for the sun.  Here the poet argues that their love and union is more perfect than hemispheres or seasons (weather) which can change from time to time.  Hence “where can we find two better hemispheres/without sharp north, without declining west?”  The poet’s reference to Geography again makes us understand or give an insight into the unparalleled bliss of his world of love where it is always warm and sunny.  The persona also claims that his beloved and herself are perfect match in line 19 because when two substances that are not compatible are mixed together it causes impurity which sometimes threatens the longevity of such substance. But the lovers do not feel this threat since their love is not mixed with selfish demands or intentions of and kind and is perfectly pure “Whatever dyes way not mixed equally; it our two lovers be one, or thru and I”.  With such a strong bond of love between them, the persona is convinced that nothing can ever decreases or stop the steam of love which naturally flows between his beloved and herself.

           In conclusion, the poet summarizes the poem when he says their love is not like any mixture, but the mixture of platonic love.  Their bond cannot be slackened, and their love cannot be killed as it is immortal and pure.  Hence “love so alike, that none do slacken none can die”.

 

Themes

Perfect love

 

           It is true that perfect love is not found anywhere on earth but in the poem, “The Good Morrow”.  The persona admits that true love that defies all weather still exist using far-fetched imagery for his description.  The metaphysical love poem begins with a question asked by the two lovers, the poet and his beloved he asks “what thou and I did still we love? “The question is meaningful and needs no answer because it clearly indicates that the life they led before falling in love was no more than “Country pleasures” like that of a child sucking his mother’s breast for survival.  A child who is sucking his mother’s breast is never aware of the world around him.

           However, perfect love in the poem knows no boundary because everything seems perfect.  It probably means that the persona’s former love life was in shambles and full of deceit compared to the new found love which is more perfect than life itself.  The poet therefore goes further to compare himself and his beloved with the use of conceit; farfetched metaphor of “Seven sleepers den” to express that their entire life was nothing more than unconscious and meaningless life.  Had they enjoy any fort of pleasures and joy, those were nothing but figment of imagination. The poet opens up his heart in the praise of his beloved “If ever any beauty I did see; which I desired, and got.t’ was but a dream of thee”

          The poet says good morrow (good morning) to the “Waking souls” of himself and his beloved because their past life, before they met was all shadow and darkness of sleep.  It is now after meeting his beloved, that he feels his waking soul.  The poet wishes to ignore the world “And makes one little room an everywhere”.  The poet wishes to ignore the world around him because he wants to be focused on his perfect love alone.  Even the sea discoverers may continue to discover new world and maps continue to spread, but the persona must possess one world and maps continue to spread, but the persona must possess one world of their new found union of true love.

 

 

 

 

True love conquers all and never Dies

 

           John Donne’s “The Good Morrow” is a celebration of true love that never dies.  Such love does not recognize seasons because it is evergreen.  It rejuvenates and fills the earth.  As the poet says good morning to himself and his lovers’ soul some now waking from their dream; experiencing real love. They look at each other but find nothing like fear or jealousy because the persona feels that there is no iota of anxiety concerning any sign of separation, as their love does not also harbor jealousy. He says, “Our waking souls/which watch not one another out of fear/for love, all love of other sights controls “This means that their love cannot be moved or sway by any situation on earth.

  Even as men continue to discover new things such as new worlds “let sea discover to new worlds have gone/let maps to other world; each had one and is one” There is a tone of assurance and commitment in the above-lines as the persona charges his beloved to be stable in character in order to sustain the tempo of their love.   He also implores his beloved to subscribe to their new found world that does not admit changes as he presents his body for his beloved to explore and her body is a world for him to possess and explore.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

          To further strengthen the theme of true love that never dies the poet uses the metaphor of hemispheres.  He says that his lover’s hemispheres are better than hemispheres that make up the earth, since their love has no cold north pole and no declining.  This implies that their love for each other does not recognize season, and it is more perfect than hemispheres.  Donne concludes the poem and leaves us with a condition that if both of them are united as one body, they will become younger and their love cannot die

“Hence, if ever two loves be one, or, thou and I love so alike, that none do slacken, none can die”

 

Virtues of love: Love is Patient

 

           Donne paints a vivid picture of true love and virtues of love in the Bible: 1 Corinthians 13:48.  In the poem, the persona who happens to be a true believer of true love and the qualities possessed, that is, the virtues of true love.  He feels relaxed and undaunted because he believes that love is patient, kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud, self-seeking it is not easily angered; it keeps no record of wrongs.

           In stanza two of this poem, the poet admits that their love possess the aforementioned qualities because he does not express any fear as to whether their union will become waned anytime soon.  Also, no external factor can cause a doom in their relationship.  As long as they continue to see themselves in each other’s eyes, their love continues to wax stronger.  The persona also believes that their union is more perfect than the heavenly bodies (Hemispheres) because they are seasonal.  Another key virtue of love is mentioned in the last line of the poem which is; love never fails or dies, “Love so alike, that none do slacken none can die”, such love does not give room for unfaithfulness, and that is why the lovers don’t need to be scare and anxious to suspect each other.

 

Features of Metaphysical Poetry in John Donne’s “The Good Morrow”

 

           The term metaphysical poets was coined by Samuel Johnson to describe a group of 17^th century English poet whose work were filled with invention use of conceit (a kind of comparison that is more striking than metaphor though it is also a type of metaphor).  Metaphysical poetry deals with human existence and such poets are highly intellectual: For they are marked by clever conceit, unusual imagery and frequent use of paradox.

           Firstly, metaphysical poems are usually love poem.  “The Good Morrow” is not an exception because it deals with perfect love that defies all situations of life. The nature of the love between the persona and his beloved is perfect and virtuous.  They also make use of sudden dramatic opening and rhetorical question.  The poem begins in a sudden harsh tone which is also rhetorical “I wonder by my troth, what thou and I did, till we loved were we not weaned till then? / but sucked on country pleasures, childishly?”  Though such question does not warrant any answer, but rather it keeps the reader in suspense and sustain his interest.

          There is the dominant use of conceit, that is, a clever expression or speech that involves a comparison between two things better known as extended metaphor.  In the poem, there is a conceit in line 4, when the poet says we were babies before we love which also connotes innocence or ignorance.  A reference to hemispheres “is also a conceit of anything that is incomplete, half or imperfect as the persona feels that the union between himself and his beloved is more powerful than the hemispheres.

          Also, the language of the poem is condensed as a particular expression could have more than one meaning which is the hallmark of metaphysical poetry.  For instance, in the above poem, “country pleasures” is ambiguous. Firstly, it means a child’s act of breast-feeding and it also connotes other act of sexual activities.  “And makes one little room, an everywhere” also has varied meanings.  The room here refers to the room where the couples made love and also suggest their ambitions to extend their perfect love to all parts of the earth.

          Therefore, Metaphysical poetry is concerned with the whole experience of man about love and it is characterized by striking use of wit and word play.

 

 

Poetic Devices

 

1. Alliteration:   It is a literary device frequently used by Donne.  In line2 and 4 of the poem, we have the /w/ and /s/ alliterate respectively, Line 2 reads “were we not weaned till then? While line 4 reads “Or snorted we in the seven sleepers den”.  Here alliteration has an onomatopoetic character.  It emphases the idea of innocence and enhances that cynical quality of the poem.

 

2.  Rhetorical Interrogative (question):  The first four lines of the poem below have these features:  “I wonder… What thou and I/did till we loved (line 1) were we not weaned till then? (Line 2) But sucked on country pleasures childishly? (Line 3) “Or snorted we in the seven sleepers den?” (Line 4).  It is employed by the poet to arrest the reader’s attention in order to probe into the persona’s mind and past experience.

 

3.  Metaphysical Conceit/ Extended Metaphor:  The poet employs striking comparison ranging from intellectual imagery from the worlds of Theology, Geography, Chemistry and Cosmology to describe a typical Donnian love, thereby passing the spiritual relation and compares the love experience of himself and his beloved with “weaning”.  We were babies before we love falsely sucking country pleasures and snorting.  The reference to these three physical activities indicates that they spent a life of worldly enjoyment.  The poet uses “But” as a contrast to show that these activities seem utterly meaningless because they are born out of innocence and ignorance “Let sea-discoverers to new world/let maps to other world”, are conceits use to describe or compare the unchanging or perfect nature of love that exists between the persona and his beloved.  Reference to “seven sleepers’ den” and “two better hemispheres are also metaphysical conceits which help to project the theme of perfect love.

 

4. Inversion: There is unusual syntactic ordering in line 6 “if ever any beauty I did see” instead of if I ever see any beauty”.  It is purposely employed to sustain the rhyming scheme in the poem.

 

5. Anaphora:  It is used in line 12, 13 and 14

“Let maps to other worlds on worlds have shown”.

 “Let sea discoverers to new worlds have gone”

“Let us possess one world each had one and is one”

It is used for emphasis and also to show the persona’s needed to proclaim the perfect union to the world.

 

6.  Synecdoche: Line 6; “If ever any beauty I did see”.  “Beauty” in the above line represents “Woman” or the personas ex fair lady.

 

7.  Repetition:  The first person pronoun is repeated four times and “Let, worlds are repeated for emphasis.

 

8.   Hyperbole:  “And makes one little room everywhere” (line 11) “Let possess one world; each had one and is one “Or snorted we in seven sleepers’ den? (Line 15)  The above lines are examples of exaggeration employed by the poet to show his love for his fair lady.

 

9.    Parallelism:  There is use of parallel structure in line 18:  “Without sharp north, without declining west “line 15: “my face in thine in mine…

10. Biblical Allusion: “Or snorted we in the seven sleepers” den? Line 4 is a reference to the legendary group of Christian children who were imprisoned by the Romans emperor D ecus.  But instead of starving to death, those children slept for long before they were found alive.  The allusion suggests that anything before this relationship was childish, boring because everyone was asleep.  It also suggests innocence and unconsciousness.

 

11. Dramatic Monologue:  The poem is an example of a monologue; that is, a poem written in the form of a speech or statement made by an individual character.  Within the context of this poem, the individual character is a lover, and the poet puts himself in such position to express his wonder as to what he and his beloved did before they fell in love with each other and also to give his woman a firm assurance of perfect love.

 

12. Tone: The poet’s attitude towards the subject matter which is love is passionate and optimistic of his relationship with his love.

 

 

13. Mood:  The general atmosphere of the poem is relaxed and hopeful.

 

LIKELY WAEC/NECO 2021-2025 QUESTIONS

 

1.   Examine “The Good-Morrow” as a metaphysical poem.

2.   Discuss the subject matter of the poem “The Good-Morrow”.

3.   Discuss any four poetic devices used in the poem.

4.   Give a detailed account of the poem and comment on the appropriateness of its title.

5.   Attempt a metaphorical interpretation of the poem.

6.   Assess the poet’s attitude towards the subject matter in the poem.

7.   “The Good Morrow” is a poem that expresses the meaning of perfect love”. Discuss.

8.   Assess the theme of perfect love, in the poem, “The Good Morrow”.

9.   Examine the structure and use of language in the poem.

10. Discuss “The Good-Morrow” as a dramatic monologue.