Summary

THE POEM THE ANNIVERSA RY IS

ANOTHER LOVE POEM BY JOHN
DONNE. THE POEM IS ABOUT THE
FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF LOVE.
P O E T I N T H E P O E M S AY S T H AT A L L
T H E T H I N G S I N T H E W O R L D H AV E
P A S S E D O N E Y E A R A N D H AV E
REACHED ONE STEP CLOSER TO
T H E I R D E S T R U C T I O N . H E S AY S B E
IT KINGS OR HONOR OR
BEAUTIFUL LADIES OR SUN ITSELF
A L L H AV E G R O W N O L D E R . T H E
O N LY T H I N G L E F T W I T H O U T T H E
INFLUENCE OF TIME IS THEIR
L O V E . T H E I R L O V E H A S N O T O D AY
A N D T O M O R R O W. I T I S N O T A
S L AV E O F T I M E . I N T H E S E C O N D
S TA N Z A P O E T S H I F T S H I S
A T T E N T I O N T O WA R D S D E A T H A N D
S AY S T H A T D E A T H I S I N E V I T A B L E
A N D S O O N E R W I L L TA K E O N E O F
U S , B U T I N N O C A S E W I L L D E AT H
S E PA R AT E U S .
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All the princes from the world pass away. We are also the prince for each other.
We will have to leave the eyes and ears in this world for they are a part of physical
body. But the soul shall never die, thus our love which is pious shall never die
because our souls shall be united.
There is none as safe as we because even death won't kill us. We do not have any
fear of treason except ourselves.Lets love each other nobely and with loyalty so that
we can make life everlasting and charming.
 The poem by Donne is yet another love poem. The poem is
concerning the first anniversary of their love. The treatment of
love is no different from other poems.
The poem contains Donne's wit. It is the platonic love that Donne
praises in the poem. the poem is metaphysical in nature.

Critical The very first stanza is hyperbolic, he says that their love is
everlasting; it is not the rag of time. It does not grow old. He says

analysis sun itself grows older but not so their love.

The structure of the poem resembles to the poem, "To his Coy
Mistress" by Andrew Marvel. The arguments in the poems are
similar.
Though towards the end of the poem the hyperbolic tone of the
poem diminishes and Donne lays stress on the purity of love
because it will make their love eternal.
Detailed
Analysis
Stanza 1
All Kings, and all their favourites,All glory of
honours, beauties, wits,The sun itself, which
makes times, as they pass,Is elder by a year now
than it wasWhen thou and I first one another
saw:All other things to their destruction
draw,Only our love hath no decay;This no
tomorrow hath, nor yesterday,Running it never
runs from us away,But truly keeps his first, last,
everlasting day.
Analysis
In this stanza, poet talks about his first anniversary with
his beloved. He says that since they met all the things in
the world have grown old.
Kings, honor, beautiful ladies and sun itself has grown
old. All these things and people are heading towards their
end and destruction.
The only thing that will remain behind is there love. It
will not decay. The love has no tomorrow and yesterday.
It will never be separate from us and will remain with us
forever.
 The stanza is metaphysical in nature. He considers the
love everlasting. Similar description regarding love was
expressed in the poem "The Sun Rising" where he says
love is not the slave of time. Similarly in this poem he
Technical says their love is everlasting.Diacope:First verse is the
examples of diacope, word "all" has been repeated,
devices "All Kings, and all their favourites,"Anaphora:The first
two verses of the stanza are the examples of anaphora,
poet has repeated "all" at the begining of verses,
"All Kings, and all their favourites, /All glory of
honours, beauties, wits,"
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Asyndeton:The second verse of the stanza is an example of
asyndeton, here poet has deliberately omitted conjunction
for emphasis, "All glory of honours, beauties,
wits,"Paradox:In the 9th verse of the stanza we finding the
example of paradox, here poet uses the word "running" and
"it never runs" , "Running it never runs from us
away,"Polyptoton:In verse 9, poet uses the rhetoric device
polyptotn, here he uses words derived from same root roots,
“"Running it never runs from us away,"  Oxymoron:In the
last verse of the the stanza we have an example of
orymoron, here he uses the words "first" and "last" together,
"But truly keeps his first, last, everlasting day."
 Two graves must hide thine and my corse;If one might,
death were no divorce.Alas, as well as other Princes,
we(Who Prince enough in one another be)Must leave at

Stanza 2 last in death these eyes and ears,Oft fed with true oaths,
and with sweet salt tears;But souls where nothing dwells
but love(All other thoughts being inmates) then shall
proveThis, or a love increasèd there above,When bodies
to their graves, souls from their graves remove.
 In this stanza poet says if one of them dies one day they
will be buried but death will not separate them. He says
that both of them are the princes of this world and one
Explanation day they will leave this world. But souls where true love
dwells will never die. Thus in this way their love shall
remain forever. He says when their bodies will be in the
grave not their souls.
Technical Devices
Apocope:The 13th line is an example of apocope, here poet
writes the verse in exclamatory sentence, "Alas ! as well as
other princes, we"Assonance:In line 15 we have an example of
assonance, where poets repeats vowel sound,
"Must leave at last in death these eyes and ears,"Alliteration:In
line seventeen we have an example of alliteration, "Oft
fed with true oaths, and with sweet salt tears;"Diacope:In line
20 we have an example of diacope, word 'graves' has been
repeated, "When bodies to their graves, souls from their
graves remove."Isocolon:The verse 20 is also an example of
isocolon, the two clauses of the verse are of same length,
"When bodies to their graves, souls from their graves remove."
Stanza 3
And then we shall be throughly blest;But now no
more than all the rest.Here upon earth we're
kings, and none but weCan be such kings, nor of
such subjects be.Who is so safe as we? where
none can doTreason to us, except one of us
two.True and false fears let us refrain,Let us love
nobly, and live, and add againYears and years
unto years, till we attainTo write threescore; this
is the second of our reign
Explanation
In this stanza poet says that after their death, they
would be blest. He says they are the kings and
none is a king like them.
There is none who can be as safe as them, for
they have no fear of betrayal except from
themselves. He advises her to love nobely so that
they can be together forever.
Technical devices
The stanza is hyperbolic in tone.
The stress is laid on the immorality of love.
Such stanza is found in the poems like, 'The Relic' and
'The Sun Rising’.
Syncope:Line 23 we have an example of syncope, an
alphabet is omitted from the word 'are', "Here upon
earth we're kings, and none but we“
 Rhetoric Question:Verse 25 is an example of Rhetoric
question, "Who is so safe as we?"
 Themes
Immortality of love:
One of the themes of the poem is the immortality of love. Poet after their first anniversary says that their love is immortal and
time will not affect them in any way.
He says to his beloved that they should be sincere in their love; it is sincerity that will make their love immortal.
Death:
Another theme of the poem is death.
Poet says that everything in the world is bound to die.
Time will destroy everything. Be it King or beauties, honor or sun all will vanish.
Purity of soul:
Another theme of the poem is purity of soul. Poet lays stress on the nobility and piety and says this will make them immortal.
Rhyme Scheme
The poem ‘The Anniversary’ has thirty lines; ten lines
in three stanzas.
The rhyme scheme is AABBCCDDDD.
However they do not perfectly rhyme but the last few
letters of the words are the same especially in the last
four lines of each stanza.
The poem is mostly in iambic meter with the first,
second and seventh lines being tetrameter.
All the other lines are pentameter.