John Donne - The Good-Morrow - Analysis. Poetry Lecture by Dr. Andrew Barker 

Nice but you should explain it on white board

Please chose the best way to describe it.

I like the connection you make in that first paragraph there, Franklin. Nicely done. Truth to look them in the eye. The Plato/ Jerry McGuire You complete me stuff. I don’t think I said Donne was the first to use the we two are one. I say it probably wasn’t as clichéd in his day as it may sound in ours. I think Plato’s got first dips on it in that perfect human being split in half and wanting to rejoined stuff. So he’s got it down in print before the Biblicals did. Great points again though. Many thanks.

@@mycroftlectures I like that you think Plato had it down first when Moses wrote the book of Genesis in the Pentateuch much earilier, in the 7th century BCE.

@@colonelalister Well, you'd have to be far far more religious than me to believe that. I hold no religious beliefs at all. Quite the contrary in fact. I'm not so much atheist as anti-theist. But that aside, the point is that today we may hear the 'two hearts as one' trope in an overused somewhat "greeting card" cliche'd way, as I certainly do, that quite possibly would not have been the same reaction as Donne's original audience had, no matter who we think first coined it.

@@mycroftlectures It has nothing to do with religion but purely historical and archaeological. Carbon dating & all that stuff... lol. Also, while the original coinage may not matter in terms of chronology, it's exciting to uncover where Donne might have got his inspiration from. Nonetheless, great explanation overall. Helped me a tonne. Thank you so much. Do keep making more of these.

Well written.

Arrrrgh! I should have seen that one coming.

That works.

You're very welcome.

A fascinating reply that I've only just noticed and missed when you posted it. On the portraits point, and this is slightly tangential, as this is more than likely to be the first look people have had of Donne as the author of the poem don't you think his age in the picture matters? And the way he looks? I mean, it shouldn't . . . but don't you think it does? If the picture attached is of an old or ugly man, the poem appears more lecherous or maybe violent. If the attached picture is of a younger more handsome version of the same man we may be inclined to read it differently. And yet we all age and few of us do so for the better. The picture attached to the author should have no relevance to how we view what was written. And I fear that even on a subconscious level it undeniably does. Same with all pictures attached to authors of course, but when you have lifetimes worth of pictures to select from picking the wrong one could do a disservice to the poet and the poem. Unfortunate, but true.

can you help me with what does the speaker compare himself? please

You're welcome.

Thanks. Some good and useful points/additions. I particularly like the eye reflecting eye reflecting eye image, even if you'd have to have far better eyesight than my own to actually pull this off. Mind you, seeing myself in someone else's eyes would be a strain these days.

can you help with " to what does the speaker compare himself with?

It's interesting to contrast this view wth Winnie's comment.

There's some interesting stuff on cliche that comes up in the Larkin poems. "Cold as snow."

Much better, Chester.

Are you preparing for exam,UPSC exam to be specific?

no why?

Ok,actually this poem is a part of UPSC English lit optional subject.I am aiming for UPSC-2018,and want to take Lit as my optional subject,but the problem is that the guidance regarding English Lit is not present much on internet/coaching etc.So i m just looking for people who chose lit as their optional. By the way thanks for replying and if you know any standard texts for reading critical reviews about various literary works please lemme know .

yaa sure

Ravi Kumar i have also decided to take english lit as optional for CSE 2018.

I dunno. I can help thinking that if you look of what he's really saying there, we've surely all met plenty of women who'd be a bit harder to please than that, and plenty who'd be offended by the presumption that this quote would work. It could work of course, so might be worth mentioning under duress.

Probable questions would depend on the age and abilities of the person being questioned of course, but this video would certainly be helpful to someone answering questions like "Analyze the way the speaker of 'The Good Morrow' views the concept of love?" or "Look at the way love is portrayed in 'The Good Morrow,'" or even one I saw recently which was "How far can 'The Good Morrow' and 'To His Coy Mistress' be said to be as much about control as about love?" Another, simpler question might perhaps be "How does the speaker of 'The Good Morrow' think his new love different from what has gone before?" Hope that helps.

thank you.

For me this is the most interesting part of the poem.

Pak Lam LEE a poet writes what he knows & feels, you are talking about modern ideas, your feelings about this poem are based on more recent thinking. No one writes a shared poem, that is a parlour game where each person might write a random line! Donne has not written it the way you would like it ! The mystery is all important. We need mysteries & myths in life. Each one of us.

Yeah. I agree with that. As in "true plain" a reversal of "plain truth."

That certainly makes sense to me. Childishly as 'in an inexperienced way,' would make sense too.

You're not wrong. Very similar. Same age, same fashions, same look, I suppose.

When you say this lecture "does not play into Donne's rampant sexual innuendos enough", you may be surprised to hear that I absolutely agree with you. At the time I made this lecture I was rather against what I saw as a somewhat childish attempt to read easy quasi-Freudian sexual imagery into poetry, and deliberately ignored it here. I now think this was a mistake on my part. I think a better way to address the sexual imagery in "The Good-Morrow" would be to present every instance the poem gives us of something that could be presented that way, and these are legion, and then let the reader decide which ones are intended, which ones work, and which ones are over-analysis in a Monty Python "nudge nudge, wink wink," sort of way, if that reference still has any meaning. That would have been far more informative, and interesting than ignoring them completely as I do here and you rightly point out.

mycroftlectures nice! That makes me happy to hear, as this poem is one of my favorites due to the beauty of its romance AND the fact that he could absolutely be talking about how great their sex was in spite of/or also because of the matters of the heart. I just think that added element makes it one of the best poems of all time. I had it read at my wedding, actually, for the double entendre reasoning. Haha, I loved that it was so romantic; however my husband and I had this great inside joke in front of all these people.

Ng Sheung Huen, Barron “Undeniably beautiful though The Good Morrow is as poetry, as biographical writing, it certainly can be seen to raise questions about Donne’s relationship to the woman he addresses.” As in who in the world could have known how many women Donne had sex with and said those appraisal words? These words and confesses have little to no weight as there is no mention of any specific features the lady possesses. What he saw in her makes her necessarily unique to us is unknown. This poem could very well be deemed as just words play to maintain this amusing sexual relationship they had, as in sex partner relation, as if like sincerely playing like he is more involved than he actually is in the interest of getting romantic attention and scratching the sex bits. We have no way of knowing how he truly feels or his intention behind all this. Especially judging from nowadays, he can simply say all of these appraisals, fooled a girl, get laid, and we would be no surprised at all. One thing he mentioned in the end, how he compared their love to the eternality of things is just too big of a boast for a relationship, how could he know he wouldn't meet another woman that is more beautiful, more appealing, that would dawn on him that make another "good-morrow to our waking souls"? To most, this poem Donne wrote is undeniably beautiful, yes indeed, but it also seems just like the raw impulse he wrote after that wonderful sex he had (to him) the previous night with that lady. “Many may, however, be far more likely to see such concerns as irrelevant compared to the sincerity of the poet’s address.” Because Donne addresses his appraisal towards this beloved whom he was with, compared with all relationships he once had as if insignificant, essentially magnifying how special and unique his feelings towards this lady are, like finally finding the true beauty of his life, at least at that particular moment. This very poem shows how much impact this relationship has brought him. That he describes in terms that took his love to a spiritual level that transcends his own affection, they conform to a unity in their own world, achieving oneness among these lovers. It's a bold and direct confess how no one could separate them apart and how he holds his affection and treasure his beloved.

Chick Karen Tsz Yu “Undeniably beautiful though The Good Morrow is as poetry, as biographical writing it certainly can be seen to raise questions about Donne’s relationship to the woman he addresses.” The Good Morrow represents the celebration of love, which depicts an awakening of the soul, and how love correlates with religion. In the first stanza, he commences with three rhetorical questions as regards their state of lives before getting involved together, as shown "by my troth". Metaphorically, he does not believe that both as truly adults can separate from their mother's milk until they meet with each other. In other words, the pleasures they enjoyed are viewed as innocent and childish that they were like babies who are not even weaned. Moreover, in reference to a story of seven children being buried alive by a Roman emperor, the long entombment can be found almost 200 years later, which infers his great tendency of preserving the time spent with his lover. In addition, in stanza three, he argues that they should stay in bed and gaze into each other's eyes rather than traveling to foreign countries, indicating that relinquishing the outside world is not a sacrifice to him. “Many may, however, be far more likely to see such concerns as irrelevant compared to the sincerity of the poet’s address.” Donne does not specify the nature of their love, yet he puts an emphasis on the perfection of their love, such as how they complement each other. His manner is quite unctuous, that he seduces and has sex with all the other women that he has known, and too impetuous to claim that his current lover is the most beautiful and perfect one in comparison to every woman he has ever slept with. From the final three lines of the stanza, it is peculiar and nonsense what he has mentioned before falling in love with his current lover, anything he experienced and any pleasure he has is not authentic. I feel doubtful how he can ensure that his current lover is the one he loves most, though he does not know how much the girl shows affection to him. He simply believes their emotion and physical states are interrelated so deeply, known as a perfect balance of love owing to the presence of the other.

Kam Chak Fai, Jack “Undeniably beautiful though The Good Morrow is as poetry, as biographical writing it certainly can be seen to raise questions about Donne’s relationship to the woman he addresses.” From the start of the poem, we can see that something happened recently that changed the relationship between Donne and the woman he’s addressing, at least Donne thought so because there’s no way he would know what the woman was thinking. This unknown incident had enabled him to see the world in a new light, to turn him into an adult with a higher level of maturity, that the “country pleasures” were merely a thing of the past (possibly conveyed by the word childish, as he outgrew it), Donne never specified what kind of event or what’s so unique in this woman that made his love transcended the realm of mere pleasures, this makes his addresses less convincing. As a biographical writing, we don’t know if his lover also had the same epiphany as him, which is why this poem exists to pitch his love toward his lover. Another thing to note is that he seduced many women in the past and tried to play it off as “preparation” for the beauty of the woman and that they were just fancies, which for all we know, he could’ve said the stuff he wrote in the poem to every lover he had, who’s to say that he would continue to love the woman he’s addressing? He might have just said those things in the heat of the moment. Such uncertainties may have undermined the perceived sincerity of the arguments he’s making here, and to us, it may sound a little bit too overbearing and way too flattering. “Many may, however, be far more likely to see such concerns as irrelevant compared to the sincerity of the poet’s address.” Because the first stanza of the poem is plainly about Donne actually having an epiphany and realising how great his love for the woman in question was, and that the beauties of every other girl that he fancied were merely reflections of her, we’ll have to take his words for it. As seen from the later stanzas where he claimed that a small room with the woman was already enough, this alone doesn’t seem quite sincere, unless we consider the fact that this poem was written in a time period where sea voyage and land discoveries were insanely popular and exciting, yet Donne didn’t care for any of that, he merely wished to stay with the woman he’s pitching his love to, as he considered her as the only world there is, a dedication to their relationship devoid of any external forces, and that is a bold claim, yet sincere as it’s different from the typical love poems written in that time period (saying he’s willing to abandon everything for her). In the final stanza, he also compared the love between him and the woman (their eyes) to the earth, saying it’s greater than the world itself. Reading this out loud in the present sounds pretty cliche, yet in the past it should sound sincere and flattering enough. In the final 3 lines, alluding to the old science of humour where one would not die if things are balanced, if they had equal affection for each other, they would never die because love would hold them together forever and ever. This indicates the intensity of his dedication, passion and loyalty to the woman he was addressing this poem to, because after all, for someone who’s seduced many women, he’s saying that he would never look the someone else’s way from his current lover, hinting at his realisation of genuine love and maturity, leaving all that “country pleasure” and childishness behind, when we interpret it as Donne growing out of those childish pleasures and truly saw something unique in the woman while disregarding the concerns, then the poem sounds sincere and convincing to us.

Lai Yuen Lam Thuy Undeniably beautiful though The Good Morrow is as poetry, as biographical writing it certainly can be seen to raise questions about Donne's relationship to the woman he addresses. Donne's tone in the poem reflects his genuine feelings towards the woman he depicts. In the very beginning of the poem, the line “I wonder, by my troth, what thou and I / Did, till we loved?" conveys a deep sense of wonder and gratitude for the relationship between Donne and the woman and how it has changed his life. Additionally, the language he used to describe their love, such as "an everywhere" and "controules," suggests a level of intensity and passion that is difficult to fake. Donne interprets his passion of love to the woman in a distinctive and imaginative way. He portrays love as a transcending and spiritual experience, a form of love that lifts the lovers to a new extent of understanding and oneness. He stresses the intensity and all-encompassing nature of his love, using vivid imagery to describe how the love he perceived in his reality has controlled his entire world and given his life a new meaning. Many may, however, be far more likely to see such concerns as irrelevant compared to the sincerity of the poet’s address. Because Donne does not focus on the authenticity of their love, but he sheds light on the fantasy of the love and the sexual relationship he and the woman maintain. The love is not pragmatic and realistic at all. It seems that there is nothing interesting than sex between the woman and him. He unrealistically magnifies the love to the point where the woman he is seeing is perfect and unique out of all the women he has slept with and met. Until this point, I cannot help but questioning his love to the woman is merely an infatuation. The exaggerative languages employed does not convey his root intention of the relationship and his genuine feelings as well. Everything he holds to be true in this relationship is barely his dreamy version of the love he yearns for.

SUN Yuxin, Jenny “Undeniably beautiful though The Good Morrow is as poetry, as biographical writing it certainly can be seen to raise questions about Donne’s relationship to the woman he addresses.” Since the poem lacks a factual basis and seems to be the product of impulse after a night of passion. Donne only mentions how their love is perfectly matched and compatible, and the enlightening and life-changing impacts on him after spending a night with the girl. However, he does not specify what causes their relationship to go beyond the superficial and childish “country pleasures” to become more sophisticated and profound, such as the virtues or moral qualities of the girl. The use of romantic metaphors makes the poem sounds slightly exaggerated and unrealistic. Donne’s sweet and flattering language seems to be used to win the girl’s faithful love, and his words could also be used to attract other girls when the addressing girl loses her strong attraction. This inevitably makes readers wonder whether his love is driven by lust or inner pleasure. The poetic language is undoubtedly exquisite, but the sincerity and sustainability of Donne’s love for the girl are somewhat questionable. “Many may, however, be far more likely to see such concerns as irrelevant compared to the sincerity of the poet’s address.” Donne uses weaning and the story of the “seven sleepers’ den” as metaphors for his past love with the girl, and shows how he experiences spiritual awakening from a childish love to a mature one, and his determination to achieve a balanced, faithful, and immortal love with the girl. This represents Donne’s serious reflection on the development of this relationship, which has gone beyond the level of physical attraction to spiritual pleasure after a night. He also indicates that other women he previously seduce are only preparations for this girl, and only she allows him to achieve true love and growth, emphasizing the uniqueness and significance of his beloved. Moreover, love “makes one little room an everywhere” shows that only a small room is perfect enough to be Donne’s whole world because of the presence of the addressing girl, who is the only one who can build the complete world for him, and the outside world means nothing to him compared to this girl. This reflects their close connection of “we two are one”, as well as Donne’s deep obsession and crazy love for the addressing girl, and his willingness to abandon everything in the outer world for her, showing his devotion and loyalty. In the final stanza, Donne states that even the “hemispheres” of the whole planet cannot compare to each others’ eyes, emphasizing that their love is powerful, charming, and unparalleled. Although the poem sounds slightly impulsive, there is no doubt that Donne’s feelings for the girl are sincere, intense, and affectionate.

Tan Kai Teck Desmond (4198776) How do you rate The Good Morrow as a Love Poem in 2020? As the following tries to place John Donne’s ultimate love poem into contemporary times, it will reveal that it is inadequate. Donne speaks of waking up to a morning with an awesome girlfriend whom probably gave him the best sex of his life the night before. The first stanza alludes to their sexual experience with a vaginal pun, as well as the event of them meeting that eventually changes their ways of life with the reference to the biblical Seven Sleepers’ Den. This seems to suggest an instance of “love at first sight” (After meeting one another, they wake in a new world where all of Donne’s exes were nothing but passing fancies). Though it will be unwise to deny the premise of such a phenomenon, one ought to doubt the chances of one that results in a lasting relationship in modern times as there are many things that entails with love. We shall explore more on that below. The second stanza confirms Donne’s loyalty (For now) to his newfound love and he compares their love as worlds. The video makes a good point in suggesting that this is a more elegant way of saying “You mean the world to me.”. Perhaps this stanza can also be summarized by the concept of wherever Donne’s girlfriend goes, Donne will be there because nothing else matters as she means the world to him. In 2020, the pandemic has proven that such promise is often vain. Studies have shown divorce rates spiking across China and the States as lockdowns and social distancing guidelines are being enforced. This is due to the lockdown increasing the amount of time couples are spending with each other in the house. Before this, couples spend most of their time in separate offices, only seeing each other for maybe 4-6 hours before rest. But now, couples literally spend every waking moment seeing only each other (and their kids). Discontents with each other’s way of life (E.g. Unwillingness to do chores, poor sex, temper management etc.) eventually drives people apart. To quote Trevor Noah: “…quarantine is showing a lot of couples that they might love each other, but they don’t like each other.” The third stanza summarizes his feelings for her by emphasizing on the “oneness connection” they share in each other’s eyes and that as long as they forever love each other without fail, they will be everlasting. Disregarding the outrageous medical fallacy of the 5th verse, the poet appears to suggest that they will stay this way in love as long as their intense feeling on both parts do not change. This, as the above explained, maybe difficult to maintain in modern context, a world where there are so many temptations, so many opportunities. Though one must agree that the metaphors employed are so beautiful that they shall last eternal, the discussed elements that constitutes a healthy relationship, however, does not. The world has changed, technology and unique circumstances have redefined what it means to love or be love. While the 16-17th century world may think of love as something as simple as sharing an intense emotional feeling for one another (Or amazing sex), the modern world thinks of love in terms of durability, loyalty and commitment on both parties. Here I would like to take a page out of the philosophical comedy, Rick and Morty. One of the episodes pokes fun at dating apps such as Tinder, in which it explores the detrimental effects of a horribly efficient dating app. In Donne’s pre-internet time, humans do not have much choice, so it becomes essential, and easier as well, to treasure that one relationship one will probably have for the rest of his/her life. However, technology and dating-apps provide people with so many choices that there is simply no incentive to maintain a relationship anymore. If this does not work out, quit and try another! There is always someone for you out there! In addition, while it might be acceptable then for Donne to assume what his partner feels, it is not so now. Love must be constructed by both parties, both must be held responsible and there ought not be any misunderstandings, especially in regard to how one feels. If it is to be modified for the modern age, there should at least be one stanza talking about how Donne shall accept their differences in character, living style as well as the flaws that come along and that he too shall work hard in achieving harmony with her. At face value, this is a timeless love poem, but it would be impractical for the modern world, especially in the Age of COVID.

Lam Wai Sum, Phronesis (4074243) “How do you rate The Good Morrow as a Love Poem in 2020?” Just as the lecture has pointed out, the ideas that Donne came up upon in The Good Morrow is of new and cutting edge for his time, probably not much of a cliche to people in the 17th century, but to fit this poem into contemporary situation, I inevitably doubt this. Somethings happening or being mentioned in the poem just doesn’t seem appropriate to be put in 2020. The Good Morrow written in the 1970s would be a romantic poem of love, intimacy, possessiveness etc, we can get this mood immediately just in the beginning of the poem, that Donne depicts how sweet and romantic it is to wake up with his lover, after presumably, a night of wonderful sex experience for he plays with the sound of ‘country’ to ‘cunt’. The first scene of the couple I came across in my brain when I read upon these lines, on the behalf as a person living in the year 2020, is related to only ‘one-night stand’ or a relationship that base on sex more than spiritually love, which is very common in nowadays. If the situation happened in the poem came true now, I doubt if the lover saying this line to show his affection is of ‘true-hearted’ or just a cliche. For when I continue to read on, ‘if ever any beauty I did see, Which I desired, and got, ‘twas but a dream of thee’ associates me to a modern saying that Donne (the lover who says this) is committing in ‘boyfriend suicide attempts’-meaning that he is saying something he thought it’s sweet but would actually piss off his lover. It doesn’t seem morally appropriate to account to his lover of how many women he had slept with before in modern context, but I guess it is not unusual to say this, or to ‘desire and got’ ‘any beauty’ back in the days. Considering the eternality of things that Donne has mentioned in the poem, I do not think it is as easy for the couples in 2020 as to do what he has said to ‘possess one world, each hath one, and is one’. This is the world full of temptations, opportunities, entertainments that it is not realistic to leave the rapidly developing world behind to just gaze into each other’s eyes to attain and maintain love in a relationship. Love isn’t merely about having feelings and intimacy towards each other, but rather of loyalty, commitments, responsibilities, efforts and a whole lot of stuffs to be consider and to balance the relation properly. In fact, with all chaotic issues related to political and health now, it is difficult but still true and significant, and will always be for two lovers to ‘be one’, to adopt each other’s opinion, to tolerant and compromise.

Tsui Long Yin, Anna (4142272) How do you rate The Good Morrow as a Love Poem in 2020? The Good Morrow is one good love poem in the past for confession towards his lover. But is it in 2020? No wonder we have times like John that we being attracted by someone's beauty and have sex with them in the way of modern style; more often, in the Lan Kwai Fong. Yet it is a falling in love or just a one-night stand? The answer is quite simple and obvious, few if not none, could find an eternal true lover who is willing to have sex with you on the first day and promise you I will love you forever? It is more likely if you have such impressive sex skills, that will be asked to be his sex partner. I have a little assumption on where John said they were a child before the night referring to their playful heart and not wanting to settle down with a forever partner. I found that fascinating, how did someone enjoying their playful will and end up with a grown-up heart? Even in the modern way, guys and ladies experience things before they say oh I'm not a child anymore I wanna settle down with someone I'd love and after having sex doesn't even get a chance to getting someone to be mature overnight. Moreover, this love poem in 2020 will be a sweet talk and flattery, no one will take it that seriously, and probably the girl will wonder if he is asking her to be his forever, sexual partner. It's crystal-clear that modern people have complex thoughts on love. Love is more than sex, even more than love. A perfect example in Hong Kong, before a couple gets married, and says we are forever in love and be together, they have to own a house, gain the money, hold the weddings, etc... Even they have been through such obstacles, usually, problems still exist and destroy marriage in a lot of cases, like having an affair. In the past, it's hard to say you can meet more and more awesome people. In 2020, with such convenience traffic and social media, it is that easy to say you are the best woman I could meet and swear that you wouldn't have a slight change in heart? Moreover, I would say sex is nothing bad, but a relationship build on that I wouldn't imagine it to be forever and true love, if it is, that's a one in the million cases I would say.

Chang Cheuk Lam Cherry 4117708 How do you rate The Good Morrow by John Donne as a love poem in 2020? As the poem starts, the speaker, Donne, tells his beloved before they met each other what they had done was all childish play after being woken up together from the night spent together. He compares their true love with the past pleasures and finds all the past pleasures as fancies. He, moreover, asserts that he had only dreamt of the true beauty, that is, his beloved whom he has got now. A glorious greeting to their soul opens the second stanza. They are now “awakened” in the true world of love and they do not have to be fearful and jealous in terms of losing each other. Here, the speaker and his beloved have moved to the spiritual world of love. They are now complete and other beauties of the materialistic world do not distract them. Their small room where they make love is the whole world for them now. He does not consider the new discoveries of the sea an important thing now because for him his beloved is the pure world of love and discoveries. In the third stanza, Donne praises the strong bond of love they share. He can see his image in her “eyeballs” and she is in his “eyeballs”. Their mutual love reflects their image so well that their hearts are clearly seen in their eyes. When the world is divided into hemispheres, their love is united and crosses all the boundaries of the physical world. At the end of the poem, the speaker applauses the immortality of their love. He claims that their bondage cannot be slackened, and their love cannot be “killed” as it is immortal and pure love. In my opinion, in 2020, this poem can enforce the message of “loyalty” and “sincerity” of one relationship. Being affected by the Coronavirus, it is much harder for couples to be as close as before as there may be curfews, or banned from doing activities in public like going to the cinema or karaoke etc. Many couples were forced to stay at their own home and the date would be through facetiming. Long distance relationships remain long distance and there’s little chance that they can meet anytime sooner. As a result, a lot of them could not stand not being together and ended up breaking up. This poem gave us deep thoughts on how we perceive relationships. Is it only for physical comfort or find a real “soulmate”? In recent decades, I’ve observed that many youngsters chose the first one; which resulted in a rocketing number of divorce. Nowadays, being loyal and responsible seems to be cliche to people. Having a lot of partners is their pursuit.

Chong Hoi Kwo 4084248 Before we conclude whether The Good Morrow is a Love Poem in 2020, let us first explore the possible readings of the poem. The poem begins with the poet’s absolute admiration of the beauty of the woman who gives him the best (sexual) “pleasure” (line 3) which is beyond comparison, “But this, all pleasures fancies bee” (line 4), suggesting the relationship between the poet and the mesmerising woman remains on surface. Yet, the connection between the poet and the young woman has deepened and become spiritual as the “soules” (line 8) are now “awaken”. The love amongst them is very strong and real that all they ever need is each other; the love for and of each other makes their “world” as shown by lines 11 and 14, “And makes one little roome, an every where” and “Let us possesse one world, each hath one, and is one”. Their love is further illustrated as “love is in the eye of the beholder” in lines 15-16 that when they look into each other’s eyes, their faces exude the “true plain hearts”. At this point, the poet seems to show great joy and happiness as his ‘dream comes true’ - being in love with the dream woman. Yet, the “If” (line 20) at the end of the poem may lead the reader to believe otherwise. Before we get to that, let us look at the psyche of the poet. The first stanza can be understood as the poet is being engulfed by the perfect woman. However, there are concerns that come with this fancy of the woman, which, mercifully, is resolved in the second stanza as they both have their “waking soules” (line 8) in the “good morrow” (line 8). Thus, this stanza is the ‘relief’ of the poet. Yet, erratically, the poet’s “feare” (line 9) appears again as he says “If” (line 20). If both the poet and the woman have the “true plaine hearts” (line 15), why would the poet reveal a sense of uncertainty here? Assuming the poet has a determined affection of the woman, we may not be certain about the woman’s, hence, their love may not be “equal” (line 19), whereby, consciously or subconscious, the poet has insecurity in him, and the “feare” may be the unbalanced love. At this stage, the poet seems to be the ‘giving’ one who has ultimate love for the woman. Nevertheless, what is “love” to the poet? Throughout the poem, the “love” centralises on “beauty” and physical intimacy (“countrey pleasure”, line 3). If his “love” for the woman is beyond the physical love, one may expect to see the other attributes (or the inner self) of the woman such as possessing a caring and good-natured heart, which, however, cannot be found here. This may be why it is “OUR waking soules” - stanza 2 and 3 is the want of the poet; he fancies the ‘happy ending’ with the woman. Whether it is ‘lust’ or ‘love’ that the poet has matters profoundly in determining it a “Love Poem” in 2020. To conclude, there is not a clear answer to this question. This response attempts to look at the issue of “love” in regard to the unique characteristics of the 21st century, where technology becomes the axis of our daily lives. It is an unspoken truth that oftentimes the initial intention of looking for a partner of spiritual connection becomes a ‘beauty contest’ where people ‘learn’ someone by appearance and ‘conditions’ (such as in consideration of wealth and occupation). Thus, the “swiping right” phenomenon represents “pleasure” that is taken from what you can see on the surface, just like the “pleasure” of the poet who takes from the physical beauty of the woman that he ‘loves’. Hence, this poem may appeal to those whose ‘love’ is ‘lust’ as a “Love Poem”, yet disagree by those who seek for true love, if we see it ‘lust’ that the poet has, in 2020. On the other hand, this “Love Poem” in the 17th century may debatably be a “Love Poem” in 2020 as ‘love’ is an intricate concept which can be interpreted differently, depending on whom one is asking, what kind of ‘love’ one is seeking, and how one finds ‘love’.

Wong Mung Rory, 4072984 Undeniably beautiful though The Good Morrow is as poetry, as Lifewriting it certainly can be seen to raise questions about Donne’s relationship to the woman he addresses. Donne employs poetic devices as decoys to conceal his empty love to the addressee. his affection does not appear to transgress the boundary of lust. The nature of their relationship before the “good-morrow” is built upon sensual pleasure: It is her beauty and physicality that enticed him in the beginning. The blatant sexual wordplay further undermines the sincerity of his “love”. Donne’s attitude transforms abruptly in one particular morning without specifying any reason as if he himself is not certain about what to make of this woman. He continues his poem with ambiguous sweet-nothing, focusing on his romanticized rhetoric instead of qualities or virtues he sees in her. “The Good-Morrow” is decidedly remarkable, yet the love he attempts to transpire is not exactly compelling. Many may, however, be far more likely to see such concerns as irrelevant compared to the sincerity of the poet’s address. Donne’s love for the addressee might go well beyond reasoning or rationality. The chain of physiological reactions after nights of passion with her could trigger something inexplicable. Donne is merely verbalizing the feeling of having butterflies in his stomach. The passion he has for her might be transient, the sense of oneness he shares with her could possibly expires, and he just might desire another flesh any time soon: But who can judge his sincerity in that particular instant? He is in love with her in that moment and nothing else matters as long as they have one another.

Lifewriting Chan Ki Tung, Tony Undeniably beautiful though The Good Morrow is as poetry, as Lifewriting it certainly can be seen to raise questions about Donne’s relationship to the woman he addresses. One of which can be said to be “does John Donne know this woman well enough?” I raise this question because there are few if not none descriptions of the woman he addresses. John Donne mainly uses vague concepts to talk about her, like “hemispheres”, “plain hearts”. This is unlike William Shakespeare, who addresses Dark Lady very specifically. For instance, Shakespeare, in one of his sonnet, uses “tender inward of thy hand” to describe the woman he loves. This further adds to my doubt that “is this woman he addresses merely one among many?” In The Good Morrow, John Donne writes, “If ever any beauty I did see, Which I desired, and got, ’twas but a dream of thee”. This sentence presupposes that John Donne did desire and get girls in the past. But this is not the main point as he could get as many women as he wanted. The main point is that this type of sentence is almost like a formula. He can utter this go-to pick-up line to Lady A, Lady B, and Lady C without altering any of the wordings and he could probably still get the women. Many may, however, be far more likely to see such concerns as irrelevant compared to the sincerity of the poet’s address. John Donne is writing an aubade, which is usually “sung by a departing lover to a sleeping woman”. At the outset, John Donne seems to be boasting about his sensual and sexual relationship in the first stanza as evidenced by cunt-ry pleasures (a witty pun) and the allegory to the snorting community in the Seven Sleeper’s den. However, when it gets to the second stanza - “And now good-morrow to our waking souls” - John Donne becomes much sincerer to the woman’s point of view and is looking for a transcendental love. For example, Donne said: “For love, all love of other sights controls/ And makes one little room an everywhere”. He is almost blind to everything else except the one and only woman sleeping in front of him. Donne also acknowledges the woman’s independence and equality, where each of the lovers represents a halve. This implies that John Donne not just wants to have coitus, a physical act of union, but also wants to have a spiritual union, one that transcends the material world.

Lifewriting Demi Kong Undeniably beautiful though The Good Morrow is as poetry, as Lifewriting it certainly can be seen to raise questions about Donne’s relationship to the woman he addresses. First, Donne actively refuses to engage with the real world is somewhat absurd in a happy relationship. It is common and understandable when couples say they make each other’s world better as if the relationship is a boost to their lives. But seemingly, Donne desires to abandon the outer world as he says, “For love, all love of others controls / And makes one little room, an everywhere.” The room they are in is a microcosm, yet perfect enough for him to be his world. Also, the ignorance he expresses towards the discovery of the new continent, which is possibly the most important issue going on during that time, shows that he is overly drawn into the woman and it is not a healthy sign at all. Second, by ending the poem with the lines “If our two loves be one, or, thou and I / Love so alike, that none doe slacken, none can die,” it makes me question how thoroughly does Donne understand the notion of love or a love relationship. There is absolutely no way to love each other equally in a relationship. People do not build a relationship based on the agreement of reciprocity either. It is destined that sometimes one will be more devoted. Therefore, the statement that Donne makes is not valid at all. Many may, however, be far more likely to see such concerns as irrelevant compared to the sincerity of the poet’s address. The implication of growth is a cogent argument to set out one's relationship. Donne uses the metaphor of weaning and the story of seven sleepers den to depict the growth of his woman and him. Growth carries a positive and progressive connotation. It indicates that the couple must have gone through something together to become two improved persons. It is an undeniably marvellous and desirable outcome of a relationship. Especially when Donne acknowledges that all the other women he has seen or even been with are only the preparation of this particular woman who is in bed with him right now. This suggests that Donne has been “growing” before he meets this woman and now he achieves his growth process.

Aison Clark Laborte, ENG-3385 Undeniably beautiful though The Good Morrow is as poetry, as Lifewriting it certainly can be seen to raise questions about Donne’s relationship to the woman he addresses. It feels like he is only exaggerating in his poem which also shows his weakness. The line “If ever any beauty I did see,/Which I desired, and got, ‘twas but a dream of thee” implies that perhaps he had been with other women as well. It is possible that he said something similar to each of the women that he had coitus with. It seems like he wants lust more than love with this woman. The line “And makes one little roome, an every where” gives more of a reason why the poet does not sound convincing because, not only that it is exaggerating, it is also not realistic. A woman with some sense would probably not be impressed with this line because no matter how in love the couples may be, everything outside that little room they are in totally matters, for example: financial problems, food, possible adultery that the man or the woman may commit etc. Many may, however, be far more likely to see such concerns as irrelevant compared to the sincerity of the poet’s address. He really believes that being with this woman can bring out the best of them with the first line of the second stanza “And now good morrow to our waking soules”. He implies that the passion that he had with this woman has awoken both of their soul and will give way to many more good tomorrows. The passionate interaction he had with the woman may be only for a short time but he may be experiencing the sensation of “love at first sight”. That sensation gives him the feeling in need to connect with the woman. He imparted this feeling in the second stanza when he said they are each other’s world. He further explains how strong this connection can be in the third stanza with “Where can we finde two better hemispheares” in which he may be trying to say that they are each half of the earth and when they are together, they will become one world. Using such metaphor may be exaggerating but there may not be a better way to describe that genuine connection he felt with her.

Chan Siu Yan Fiona 4167208 Undeniably beautiful though The Good Morrow is as poetry, as Lifewriting it certainly can be seen to raise questions about Donne’s relationship to the woman he addresses. In the poem, Donne provides every reason to convince the girl. He starts by referring to the story in Christianity, then to the concept and the structure of the world. It makes me question why he has to pay so much effort to gain her love. After one night, the girl has changed from an ordinary person to a goddess, who makes him grow and in love. Donne emotions seem to have changed too fast that by spending one night makes him to completely fell in love. Additionally, I think it is effortless for Donne to get a girl as he has a history of womanizing. The words he has used in this poem, he could also use to allure the other girls. Why would the girl believe she would be the only one for him? Possibly, he would have thousands of lovers outside there waiting for him, not to mention the asking for “if our two loves are one, or, thou and I love so alike”. Many may, however, be far more likely to see such concerns as irrelevant compared to the sincerity of the poet’s address. After the unusual night, he has grown from a childish man who only enjoys sexual pleasure, to an adult who would appreciate the spiritual pleasure. This is a life-changing experience for Donne that he is not ashamed of telling the girl the history of him womanizing. He is trying to persuade the girl with everything knowledge he has. I believe every person, especially women, loves hearing to compliment and love words, which Donne used the sweetest way to present his sincerity to the girl, saying “let us possesse one world, each hath one, and is one.” When they already own the world, is there anything they should be fearful of?

No argument from me there.

I have to disagree here. A paraphrase, by its very nature, simplifies. I've taught literature for over twenty years now, both at universities and as a private teacher, and it's clear that a lot of students simply don't or can't paraphrase a poem before they analyze its further intricacies. So often, students at high levels of academia can turn in papers on postmodern representation within . . . or the implications of the chronotope in . . . etc etc when they haven't actually understood the content of the poem they are doing the supposedly in depth analysis on. What they write is almost a template that can be cut to more or less fit any piece of art and it shows very little awareness of the specifics of the piece they are actually looking at. And I fear this is because all too often teachers skip showing students how to do the work of close analysis of a text to move onto that teacher's own area of interest as it relates to that text. Of course to those of us who already know the poem, the information in this video, and all the others, is very simple, but everything is simple when we already know it. I would contend that even at university level, it is a mistake to assume that all the students in the class know what this videos puts across. I may be wrong of course, but private tutoring is very useful for letting us know what other people DON'T know. I also always try to remember what I didn't know at that age. Which to be accurate wasn't very much at all.