The Canonization by John Donne - Summary
The poem "The Canonization" written by John Donne, the leading metaphysical poet of the Elizabethan age. The poem reflects the poet's defence of his love against all sorts of bad happenings in the world. The title refers to the Christian religious act of admitting a dead person into the line of saints. But the subject matter doesn't reflect the religious pursuit of the narrator instead it discusses the power and piousness of romantic love of the narrator and his beloved. The poem depicts the highness of love over other things, Donne believes that his love can achieve the blessings of God and attain canonization and legacy.
Donne uses his signature styled literary device of conceit to show how lofty and tall his love is. He employs the recurring rhyme scheme of abbacccaa.
Explanation
Stanza 1
The narrator scolds his companion, perhaps his friend for interrupting him in between his love-making. Instead of it, he can mock his physical disabilities and shortcomings. He advises him to indulge himself in some meaningful tasks such as accumulating wealth or throw himself in an intellectual work. Moreover, he can work hard and secure a position in king's court and observe the ways of the king or his face engraved on coins. He tells him to do anything but leave him alone with his beloved.
Stanza 2
In this stanza, he defends his love-making and claims that no one is hurt or injured due to his love. No merchants' ships are sunk in the sea due to his act of love. His tears haven't brought floods to the lands and neither his common cold does prolong the cold season and delay the advent of spring. His intensity to love won't exacerbate the monetary damages caused by the plague. Their love doesn't alter a thing, everyone is indulged in their primary works, soldiers fighting wars, lawyers finding legal conflicts to fight.
Stanza 3
The narrator doesn't care what people will say about him and his beloved. Their love is too resilient to be affected by them. He compares his beloved and himself with flies. He glorifies themselves as the candles that will burn itself in the flames of love and die. They find the spirit of the eagle and the dove in each other, the amorous struggle between the predator and the prey. The narrator then alludes to Phoenix, a Greek mythological bird that can resurrect from the remaining ashes of itself. He says that they both symbolise Phoenix and both their sexes joined to become neutral. They die and revive, their mystery will never be explained like that of Phoenix.
Stanza 4
The narrator says that if they can't love in this life, then it's better to die. It doesn't matter to him if their posthumous bodies will get luxurious treatment like tombs, usually given to great kings, but their saga will find its place in songs. Sonnets will spread their tale if no chronicle capture it. Just as the great people's ashes are contained in an urn (vase) in a huge palace, the narrator and his beloved will also be cherished in hymns, paving way for their canonization "for love."
Stanza 5
They would inspire people of coming generation about the holy love they hold toward each other. The love they represent would be a rare thing in future. They did the impossible by capturing the whole world in their eyes. All countries, cities and places find itself in their eyes. People will pray to God to grant them the love patterned on the narrator and his beloved's love.
Donne uses his signature styled literary device of conceit to show how lofty and tall his love is. He employs the recurring rhyme scheme of abbacccaa.
Explanation
Stanza 1
The narrator scolds his companion, perhaps his friend for interrupting him in between his love-making. Instead of it, he can mock his physical disabilities and shortcomings. He advises him to indulge himself in some meaningful tasks such as accumulating wealth or throw himself in an intellectual work. Moreover, he can work hard and secure a position in king's court and observe the ways of the king or his face engraved on coins. He tells him to do anything but leave him alone with his beloved.
Stanza 2
In this stanza, he defends his love-making and claims that no one is hurt or injured due to his love. No merchants' ships are sunk in the sea due to his act of love. His tears haven't brought floods to the lands and neither his common cold does prolong the cold season and delay the advent of spring. His intensity to love won't exacerbate the monetary damages caused by the plague. Their love doesn't alter a thing, everyone is indulged in their primary works, soldiers fighting wars, lawyers finding legal conflicts to fight.
Stanza 3
The narrator doesn't care what people will say about him and his beloved. Their love is too resilient to be affected by them. He compares his beloved and himself with flies. He glorifies themselves as the candles that will burn itself in the flames of love and die. They find the spirit of the eagle and the dove in each other, the amorous struggle between the predator and the prey. The narrator then alludes to Phoenix, a Greek mythological bird that can resurrect from the remaining ashes of itself. He says that they both symbolise Phoenix and both their sexes joined to become neutral. They die and revive, their mystery will never be explained like that of Phoenix.
Stanza 4
The narrator says that if they can't love in this life, then it's better to die. It doesn't matter to him if their posthumous bodies will get luxurious treatment like tombs, usually given to great kings, but their saga will find its place in songs. Sonnets will spread their tale if no chronicle capture it. Just as the great people's ashes are contained in an urn (vase) in a huge palace, the narrator and his beloved will also be cherished in hymns, paving way for their canonization "for love."
Stanza 5
They would inspire people of coming generation about the holy love they hold toward each other. The love they represent would be a rare thing in future. They did the impossible by capturing the whole world in their eyes. All countries, cities and places find itself in their eyes. People will pray to God to grant them the love patterned on the narrator and his beloved's love.