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Poetry analysis: The Good-Morrow, by John Donne

by Cicely Richard
Created on: March 07, 2012 Last Updated: March 08, 2012 The Good-Morrow, published in poet John Donnes 1633 collection entitled Songs and Sonnets, speaks from the viewpoint of a lover as he arises in the morning and sees the face of his partner next to him. The emotions conveyed by the narrator ranges from passion to a spiritual experience free of fear and anxiety. Donne uses vivid language and religious references to denote how the narrators loves for his partner morphs with the passage of time.

The narrator in The Good-Morrow recounts a religious traditional tale to express how this love has somehow emboldened him. He talks about the Catholic tale of the Seven Sleepers den (line 4). The legend of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus tells the story of seven Christian children hiding in a cave to escape persecution during the reign of Roman Emperor Decius. They fall asleep and wake up 200 years later during the reign of Theodosius II. Thus, Donne compares their slumber to the long sleep of the Seven Sleepers and their bravery to how love has changed him. The love the narrator expresses for his partner is so great that he feels that he has no need to explore other worlds. He says, Let maps to other, worlds on worlds have shown, let us possess one world, each hath one, and is one (lines 13, 14). In essence, the narrator tells others that they can explore other worlds. He has found the one world he wants and does not need maps to find anything else. The words signify the passion often felt at the beginning of a love story, when nothing else seems to matter. The narrators love becomes more than passion, in which he thinks of his lover as the only world he wants to explore. It becomes an intimate, spiritual bond between the two. The poem reads, My face in thine eyes, thine in mine appears, and true plain hearts do in the faces rest (line 15, 16). The narrator tells readers that, when he looks at into the face of his lover, its like looking into a mirror . Thus, he has drawn so close that he thinks they have become the same. The relationship has grown to be more than all-consuming passion. The love of the narrator for his partner continues growing to the point where he thinks it is enduring. He says, If our two loves be one, or, thou and I love so alike, that none do slacken, none can die (line 20, 21). First, the narrator reiterates how much the love has grown to the point where the two of them are like one person. Then, he tells readers that the love is so strong that it will continue and not die. The love has continued growing for the narrator. The Good-Morrow by John Donne presents the early morning musings of a lover about his partner. The poem illustrates the different phases in which love goes through, from the passion seen early in a relationship to its growth to a spiritual and intimate bond. The timelessness of Donnes words in this poem shows that it is normal for love to change, with each phase being vital. Learn more about this author, Cicely Richard. Click here to send this author comments or questions.

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