The Sun Rising Plog #2

The Sun Rising
by John Donne

BUSY old fool, unruly Sun,
Why dost thou thus,
Through windows, and through curtains, call on us ?
Must to thy motions lovers' seasons run ?
Saucy pedantic wretch, go chide
Late school-boys and sour prentices,
Go tell court-huntsmen that the king will ride,
Call country ants to harvest offices ;
Love, all alike, no season knows nor clime,
Nor hours, days, months, which are the rags of time.

Thy beams so reverend, and strong
Why shouldst thou think ?
I could eclipse and cloud them with a wink,
But that I would not lose her sight so long.
If her eyes have not blinded thine,
Look, and to-morrow late tell me,
Whether both th' Indias of spice and mine
Be where thou left'st them, or lie here with me.
Ask for those kings whom thou saw'st yesterday,
And thou shalt hear, "All here in one bed lay."

She's all states, and all princes I ;
Nothing else is ;
Princes do but play us ; compared to this,
All honour's mimic, all wealth alchemy.
Thou, Sun, art half as happy as we,
In that the world's contracted thus ;
Thine age asks ease, and since thy duties be
To warm the world, that's done in warming us.
Shine here to us, and thou art everywhere ;
This bed thy center is, these walls thy sphere.

Commentary:
In "The Sun Rising", John Donne creates an annoyed and angry tone that shifts to accepting to promote the theme that love is more important than anything else in the world. The speaker, speaking to the sun through apostrophe, first feels that the sun is imposing on his life, but then he welcomes the warmth and power of the sun as a way to help his love prosper. This poem is utterly romantic, though Donne still manages to show his condescending and angry side.
In the very beginning of the poem, Donne uses apostrophe, addressing the sun as though it is barging in on his blissful, quiet moments with his lover. Donne ironically begins a very poetic and romantically titled poem basically yelling at nature; the sun forces people to work, to get out of bed, etc. Diction such as "old fool," "unruly," and "wretch" creates the impression that the speaker is angry. In this stanza, the speaker just wants the sun to go away.
In the second stanza, the speaker acknowledges that he can't ignore the sun. He considers his love to be more important than his dislike of the sun. Throughout the stanza, Donne uses language related to the bedroom, such as "lie here with me" and "all here in one bed lay." Donne puts up with the sun because he would rather have his lover. He says, "But that I would not lose her sight for so long," which exaggerates his need for his lover. He can't stop looking at her for the length of a wink. Overall, Donne still promotes an annoyed tone, but it is more balanced by his love, which clearly is very important to him.
In the last stanza, Donne's tone changes to accepting. He welcomes the sun, saying "shine here to us." Instead of butting in, the sun now accentuates their love. Donne realizes that it's the sun's job to "warm the world," and so by warming their hearts through love, the sun is actually slave to their love. This stanza is much more positive, but Donne still retains a condescending tone as he tells the sun that it revolves around his bedroom in the last line. Obviously Donne values love, but he actually goes as far as saying it is the most important thing in the universe. He can ignore the sun and all other obligations that come with morning because the simple pleasure of being with his love is of utmost importance.
Donne gets angry at the sun and at nature, but this poem shows his thought process. He develops his anger into an understanding of what he values in the world. If we can all pinpoint the one thing in this world that we value most and go after it, devoting everything to that one thing, I'm sure we would all be much happier.

IB Plog #1 "The Good-Morrow"

John Donne "The Good-Marrow"

I wonder by my troth, what thou, and I
Did, till we lov'd? Were we not wean'd till then?
But suck'd on countrey pleasures, childishly?
Or snorted we in the seaven sleepers den?
T'was so; But this, all pleasures fancies bee.
If ever any beauty I did see,
Which I desir'd, and got, 'twas but a dreame of thee.

And now good morrow to our waking soules,
Which watch not one another out of feare;
For love, all love of other sights controules,
And makes one little roome, an every where.
Let sea-discoverers to new worlds have gone,
Let Maps to other, worlds on worlds have showne,
Let us possesse one world; each hath one, and is one.

My face in thine eye, thine in mine appeares,
And true plaine hearts doe in the faces rest,
Where can we finde two better hemispheares
Without sharpe North, without declining West?
What ever dyes, was not mixed equally;
If our two loves be one, or, thou and I
Love so alike, that none doe slacken, none can die.


Good Morrow Commentary

In “The Good-Morrow,” John Donne creates a certain, loving tone to promote the theme that love is the only necessary thing in life. He develops the confident tone primarily through metaphors and diction. John Donne is so certain of the power of his love that he believes all he needs is his lover, and life will be complete.
Donne’s certainty in the strength of his love is emphasized by his contrasting uncertainty that was present before he met his love. In the beginning of the poem, Donne uses many questions to demonstrate the doubt present in his earlier life. Later in the poem, Donne says, “true plain hearts do in the faces rest,” which is a metaphor explaining how souls can be expressed through someone’s eyes. Donne knows his lover so well he feels that he can study her heart by looking at her face. The hearts are “true” and “plain”; Donne is confident that his love is open and reciprocated.
Donne creates a loving tone primarily through metaphors in the second stanza. He begins the stanza with, “And now good-morrow to our waking souls,” which compares their souls to waking people, who are usually refreshed and happy. Those words also create an image of a sun-soaked bedroom, so I envision Donne waking lover, completely satisfied and absorbed in his love. Donne goes on to say that their love “makes one little room an everywhere.” He uses hyperbole to explain the power and satisfaction of love; once again, his tone is completely absorbed in the love contained in one small room. He never has to leave because the room is “everywhere.”
Donne uses metaphors and specific language to create an enthralled and certain tone. This promotes the theme that love is all you need because Donne is so perfectly content in his love.