To His Mistress Going To Bed by John Donne - Explanation
The poem "To his Mistress going to bed" written by a noted metaphysical poet, John Donne. It deals with the poet and his mistress's sensuous act in their bedroom. The poem is a love poem in which the poet cherish the features of the female body. He urges his beloved to shed all her clothes which conceal her exquisite naked figure. He considers all these clothing as an obstacle which prevents him from reaching his beloved. Throughout the poem, he attributes the lady as a tressure.
Explanation
The poet asks his beloved to come as it's bedtime for her. His manly strength is eroded by excessive rest and he intends to "labour" i.e to test his strength otherwise it will be a waste. When an enemy faces his opponent on a battlefield, it's difficult for them to just stand and watch their enemy without a fight. He requests her to remove her girdle (a women garment). He employs a simile by comparing the girdle with the "glistering" heaven zone but the girdle carries much fair and broader world.
The poet tells her to get rid of her breastplate which has the power to attract the eyes of "busy fools". It is bedtime for her, so he tells her to "unlace yourself" and remove that busk (a strip of her garment). The poet envies it because despite being close to her body, it can resist the temptation of her. When his mistress takes her gown off, the nakedness is compared to the scene of the flowery meads (simile) after being uncovered by the shadow of the hill.
He asks her to take off her crown, then her shoes and ascends to their bed which is compared to "love's hallowed temple" (metaphor). The way his beloved dresses in white robes, it's like how angels meet men of earth. She is an angel who brings "a heaven like Mahomet's Paradise" in poet's life. Here, the poet makes an allusion to Mahomet, the messenger of God in Islam religion. Although evil spirits also walk in white robes, but it is easy for the poet to distinguish the angels from the evil because evil spirits are horrifying and make their hairs stiff with fear but the angels make their flesh upright" i.e they arouse their sexual desire like his beloved does to him.
He asks him to "license" his hands to touch her. He compares her to America, the newly discovered land (metaphor). He calls her his kingdom, mine of precious stones and he finds it viable that his "kingdom" is safe in only one hand i.e he wants her beloved to love him only. She is his greatest discovery and it is like to embrace freedom when he entered into relationship with her.
Her state of full nakedness is all joy for him. Just like the souls are naked, they should also be naked "to taste whole joys." The women gems act like "Atlanta's balls" which is an allusion to Greek mythology referring to Atlanta's wish to marry the one who would defeat her in a race. Hippomenes defeated her with a trick by putting an apple which she picks in her way and she lost the race. When fools see these gems, they want them. The "earthly souls" also covet these gems not their bodies.
Just like exquisitely covered books or pictures, all women are mystic books for a lay-men. Their grace is only revealed and praised by these men. As her beloved shows her body to the midwife, let him examine the body and remove her white linen. It is a waste to repent to show your innocence. In order to show her, he makes himself naked and then what is your need to cover yourself when a man is naked.
Explanation
The poet asks his beloved to come as it's bedtime for her. His manly strength is eroded by excessive rest and he intends to "labour" i.e to test his strength otherwise it will be a waste. When an enemy faces his opponent on a battlefield, it's difficult for them to just stand and watch their enemy without a fight. He requests her to remove her girdle (a women garment). He employs a simile by comparing the girdle with the "glistering" heaven zone but the girdle carries much fair and broader world.
The poet tells her to get rid of her breastplate which has the power to attract the eyes of "busy fools". It is bedtime for her, so he tells her to "unlace yourself" and remove that busk (a strip of her garment). The poet envies it because despite being close to her body, it can resist the temptation of her. When his mistress takes her gown off, the nakedness is compared to the scene of the flowery meads (simile) after being uncovered by the shadow of the hill.
He asks her to take off her crown, then her shoes and ascends to their bed which is compared to "love's hallowed temple" (metaphor). The way his beloved dresses in white robes, it's like how angels meet men of earth. She is an angel who brings "a heaven like Mahomet's Paradise" in poet's life. Here, the poet makes an allusion to Mahomet, the messenger of God in Islam religion. Although evil spirits also walk in white robes, but it is easy for the poet to distinguish the angels from the evil because evil spirits are horrifying and make their hairs stiff with fear but the angels make their flesh upright" i.e they arouse their sexual desire like his beloved does to him.
He asks him to "license" his hands to touch her. He compares her to America, the newly discovered land (metaphor). He calls her his kingdom, mine of precious stones and he finds it viable that his "kingdom" is safe in only one hand i.e he wants her beloved to love him only. She is his greatest discovery and it is like to embrace freedom when he entered into relationship with her.
Her state of full nakedness is all joy for him. Just like the souls are naked, they should also be naked "to taste whole joys." The women gems act like "Atlanta's balls" which is an allusion to Greek mythology referring to Atlanta's wish to marry the one who would defeat her in a race. Hippomenes defeated her with a trick by putting an apple which she picks in her way and she lost the race. When fools see these gems, they want them. The "earthly souls" also covet these gems not their bodies.
Just like exquisitely covered books or pictures, all women are mystic books for a lay-men. Their grace is only revealed and praised by these men. As her beloved shows her body to the midwife, let him examine the body and remove her white linen. It is a waste to repent to show your innocence. In order to show her, he makes himself naked and then what is your need to cover yourself when a man is naked.