John Donne (1572-1631)
Donne was born in London sometime between Jan 24 and June 19, 1572. His mother was descendent of a family, which was reputed in the field of literature and art. His maternal grandfather, John Heywood was an epigrammatist and playwright. His father was a merchant. His father died when he was only 4 years old. His mother married another man who reared John Donne and other children. Donne’s childhood was probably happy and playful. He was a good and laborious student. He matriculated from Oxford University at the age of twelve. Then he went to Cambridge University, there he did his graduation but both Universities did not allow him to get a degree because he refused to take an oath of allegiance to the Protestant Queen Elizabeth. In John Donne’s time Protestant Christian, waves were flowing like a hurricane. English royal families were also under influences of the wave. This wave, on the contrary harmed Donne a lot. In 1592-94, he tried to study comparatively the details of both the version of Christianity. This was a study, which we can say were the starting points of his inclination towards religion and spiritualism. This is clearly reflected in his poetry. Look at this poem –
A Hymn to God The Father
Wilt thou forgive that sin where I begun
Which was my sin, though it were done before?
Wilt thou forgive that sin through which I run,
And do run still, though still I o deplore?
When thou hast done, thou hast not done
For I have more.
This poem was written during his illness very late in his life (1623). In this poem, he is talking to God bout his sins. According to Christian theology, every man is born in sin, as a result of Adam’s disobedience of God- which was man’s original sin. This topic of the poem shows his interest in religious connotations. There are many hymns he wrote in similar fashion. Moreover, he would give sermons to commons and nobles while holding the office of chaplain. This was known as his primary job. Less people knew that he was a great poet too.
John Donne, as mentioned earlier read too much about theology, and religion was interested in old church, eventually became a chaplain in a respected church of Britain. Before this dramatic change in his life, he had to suffer too much. In 1597, he joined Sir Thomas Egerton as a secretary. He remained there for five years. There he was respected too much. He was given equal status in Egerton’s home. He lived there happily.
During his stay he married, Miss Anne More who was niece of Mrs Egerton’s second wife. Sir George More who was chancellor of British garter (a kind of order) did not approve this marriage. John Donne was imprisoned for a brief period of time; dismissed from the job and got banished. He was unemployed, penniless at the age of 30.
For next ten years, he lived in poverty and humiliation. He was supported by different kinds of charity. He changed his dwellings on several occasions. Meanwhile he had 12 children, five of them died. His poverty was being enriched. This poverty and misery made him to study theologies and religious texts. As mentioned earlier his inclination towards theology took him to the position of priest of church, he was being urged by his friends since 1607 to take holy orders in Church of England. He refused the idea, travelled all through Europe (financed by patrons) and tried to find secular employment.
In 1614, King James I refused him to give any works other than responsibility of church. Ultimately, he joined church in 1615. Thereafter he remained in church till his death. His poetry, his prose, his letters and epigrams bore reflections of his vocation and deep contemplation. Although, most of his poetry was published after his death but he was writing poetry since 1590. The only published book in his life was “Anniversaries”. It was published in 1611-12. Usually Donne was writing religious lyrics; in later stages he started writing hymns around 1620 but in very beginning of his poetic life he was writing love lyrics. His love poems were dramatically different from other Renaissance poets. His directness in the poem where the lover directly talks to his ladies is clear departure from styles prevalent in those time.
Encyclopaedia Britannica writes –
“Donne’s poetry is marked by strikingly original departures from the conversation of 16th century English verse particularly that of Sir Philip Sydney and Edmund Spenser. Donne replaced their mellifluous lines with a speaking voice whose vocabulary and syntax reflect the emotional intensity of confrontation and whose metrics and verbal music conform to the needs of a particular dramatic situation. One consequence of this is a directness of language that electrifies his mature poetry. ‘For God sake hold your tongue and let me love’, begins his love poem ‘The Canonization’ plunging the reader into the midst of an encounter between the speaker and an unidentified listener.”
In 1623, he wrote a book of essays “Devotion upon Emergent Occasion”. This book shows that he was indulging himself deep in the divinity and spiritualism. We can take example of his famous poem-
Death Be Not Proud –
Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For, those, whom thou think’st, thou dust overthrow
Die not, poor death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
These lines show his original contemplation. He is personifying death and making it meagre in front of man’s immense power. These are the some special things in his poetry that influenced the poets like Browning and T.S. Eliot three hundred years after the inception of these beautiful lines.
Donne’s devotional lyrics especially the ‘Holy Sonnets’, ‘Good Friday’ (1613), ‘Riding Westward’ and the Hymns(1635) , passionately explore his love for God, sometime through sexual metaphors and depicts his doubts, fears and sense of spiritual unworthiness. None of them shows him spiritually at peace.
The first two edition of Donne’s ‘Poems’ were published posthumously in 1633 and 1635. For nearly 90 years after his death people were reading his poetry but in 19th century he was not popular. In 20th century, his poetry was revived because of T.S. Eliot.
In 1617, John Donne’s wife Anne died. This made him subdued and disappointed. His letters show how much he cared for his wife. He vowed that he would never marry again. He gave full time in devotion and spiritual sermons. The power and eloquence of Donne’s sermons soon secured for him a reputation as the foremost preacher in England of his day.
On February 25, 1631 Donne was fatally ill with stomach cancer, left his sickbed to preach a final sermon to court. This sermon was published as ‘Death Duel’ some people say it was a sermon of his own funeral. He died on same day.
Milind
References-
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2002
The New Golden Treasury, Motilal banarsidas, 2005
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