Born 1572 London, England Died March 12, 1631 Occupation Poet, Priest Nationality English Genres Satire, Love poetry, Elegy, Sermons Subjects Love, Sexuality, Religion, Death, Literary movement Metaphysical Poetry Influences William Shakespeare John Donne was a Jacobean poet and preacher, representative of the metaphysical poets of the period. His works, notable for their realistic and sensual style, include sonnets, love poetry, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs, satires and sermons. His poetry is noted for its vibrancy of language and immediacy of metaphor, compared with that of his contemporaries. Donne came from a loyal Roman Catholic family, and so he experienced persecution until his conversion to the Anglican Church. Despite his great education and poetic talents, he lived in poverty for several years, relying heavily on wealthy friends. In 1615 he became an Anglican priest and in 1621 Dean of St Paul's. Some scholars believe his literary works reflect these trends, with love poetry and satires from his youth, and religious sermons during his later years. Other scholars, such as Helen Gardner, question the validity of dating when most of his poems were published posthumously (1633). The exception to these is his Anniversaries which were published in 1612 and Devotions upon Emergent Occasions published in 1623. His sermons are also dated, sometimes quite specifically, by year and date.
geometry
Never a mouse
chases ever a tail,
never a mouse ever sees
that always a cat
catc...[read poem]
chases ever a tail,
never a mouse ever sees
that always a cat
catc...
the bait
Come live with me, and be my love,
And we will some new pleasures prove
Of golden sands, a...[read poem]
And we will some new pleasures prove
Of golden sands, a...
poor speaker
I understand you.
I get what you’re trying to say.
What you’re trying to say is you wa...[read poem]
I get what you’re trying to say.
What you’re trying to say is you wa...
night vision
His wife dreams of silent flight.
On a drive on narrow roads
outside the city
...[read poem]
On a drive on narrow roads
outside the city
...
haenyo song: harvest
We cull the island's most spectacular fields.
Cheju's long grasses have always belonged ...[read poem]
Cheju's long grasses have always belonged ...
offering
The vocabulary of desire
is incomplete, a word is missing.
My tongue searches
...[read poem]
is incomplete, a word is missing.
My tongue searches
...
referendum
with sincere apologies to Gilles Vigneault
Of course, you want your country
...[read poem]
Of course, you want your country
...
a hymne to christ, at the authors last going into germany
In what torne ship soever I embarke,
That ship shall be my embleme of thy Arke;
What sea s...[read poem]
That ship shall be my embleme of thy Arke;
What sea s...
overheard in an asylum
And here we have another case
quite different from the last,
another case quite different ...[read poem]
quite different from the last,
another case quite different ...
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