Table of Contents
Poem: The Good Morrow
By John Donne.
I wonder, by my troth, what thou and I
Did, till we loved? Were we not weaned till then?
But sucked on country pleasures, childishly?
Or snorted we in the Seven Sleepers’ den?
’Twas so; but this, all pleasures fancies be.
If ever any beauty I did see,
Which I desired, and got, ’twas but a dream of thee.
And now good-morrow to our waking souls,
Which watch not one another out of fear;
For love, all love of other sights controls,
And makes one little room an everywhere.
Let sea-discoverers to new worlds have gone,
Let maps to other, worlds on worlds have shown,
Let us possess one world, each hath one, and is one.
My face in thine eye, thine in mine appears,
And true plain hearts do in the faces rest;
Where can we find two better hemispheres,
Without sharp north, without declining west?
Whatever dies, was not mixed equally;
If our two loves be one, or, thou and I
Love so alike, that none do slacken, none can die
কাব্যিক মূল্যায়ন
জন ডনের সবচেয়ে সুন্দর মেটাফিজিক্যাল কবিতাগুলোর মধ্যে “The good Morrow” একটি সুন্দর কবিতা। এখানে একজোড়া প্রেমিক-প্রেমিকার মাধ্যমে সুন্দর করে খাঁটি ভালোবাসার স্থায়িত্ব সম্পর্কে যুক্তি দিয়েছেন তিনি। আমরা এখানে দেখতে পাই যে,
- মানুষ হঠাৎ করেই প্রেমে পড়ে যায়। যদি কেউ কারো সাথে অনবরত মিশতে থাকে তখন, কখন তারা ভালোবাসায় পর্যবসিত হয় তারা তা বুঝতে পারেনা।
- খাঁটি ভালোবাসা অন্য কারো সাথে প্রেমে পড়া থেকে বিরত রাখে।
- ভালোবাসার কল্পনার জগতে কোন দুঃখ কষ্ট নেই ।
- ভালোবাসা সমান সমান না হলে তা কখনই টিকে থাকে না ।
এখানে আমরা দেখতে পাই যে, এক প্রেমিক তার প্রেমিকার সাথে কথা বলছে। প্রথম সে নিজেদের একে ওপরের প্রতি ভালবাসায় পরার কথা বলতে গিয়ে বলেছে যে, তারা কখন ভালোবাসায় পরে গিয়েছে তারা বুঝতে পারেনি। তাদের ভালোবাসা তখন ছিল নিষ্পাপ, ঠিক স্তন পানরত শিশুর মত। দ্বিতীয়ত সে বলেছে তাদের ভালোবাসার সচেতনতার কথা। সে এখানে বলে যে, খাঁটি ভালোবাসা অন্য সব দিক থেকে এবং সব কাজ থেকে যুগলকে ভালোবাসার দিকে ফিরিয়ে আনে। তৃতীয়ত সে আরো বলে, ভালোবাসায় নেই কোন দুঃখ আর যদি যুগলদের ভালোবাসা সমান সমান হয় তবে তা টিকে থাকে আজীবন এবং কি মৃত্যুর পরেও।
Summary
The Good Morrow” is a well-known poem written by Metaphysical poet John Donne. This poem was published in a collection entitled “Songs and Sonnets”. The poem opens dramatically,
” I wonder by my troth, what thou and I Did, till we lov’d? ”
The poet wonders about their love. The poet surprised that they have been fallen in love with each other. Their innocent love has been compared with that of breastfed babies. Their unconscious love is compared with the “seven sleepers’ den” who slept two hundred years in order to save their love. Then, the poet describes his beloved. The poet desires a beautiful girl like her beloved.
In the second stanza, the poem welcomed their new love. Now they can see each other without any kind of hesitation or fear. He also says now they can control each other through their love. Then the poet compares their love with sea-discoverers/astronomers. How they discover the new and newer world, the poet and his beloved will discover new worlds in the same way through their love. The poet said metaphorically that the whole world will be a single room for them.
In the third stanza, the poet develops their love in a spiritual manner. He immortalizes their spiritual love. He compares their love with two “hemispheres”. There is no decay in their love. Their love is immortal. At last, he compares their love with chemical elements. If one more chemical doesn’t mix proportionately, it never lasts long. So, if their love doesn’t become one it will destroy. So finally it can be said that the poem requests his beloved to love him passionately. So that it never loses its charm or any harm can touch it.
Rhyme Scheme
The rhyme scheme is the ordered pattern of rhymes at the end of the lines of a poem or verse. A rhyme scheme is used in poetry. It helps us to read a poem with rhythm. It is maybe common or uncommon. It establishes the poem. It is the combination of a number of stanzas. Every stanza has some lines.
The rhyme scheme is easily identified, usually by the accent or sound of the last word of each line of every poem. “The Good Morrow” rhyme scheme is given in the poem. The poem consists of 3 stanzas and 21 lines. The first six lines of each stanza are in iambic pentameter and the final line is in iambic hexameter.
Now I am going to mention below rhyme scheme with an explanation.
“I”=a
“Then”=b
“Childishly”=a
“Den”=b
“Bee”=c
“See”=c
“Thee”=c
Here the last word of the first line is “I” and the last word of the third line is “childishly”. Both words have the same sound. So we can mark it “a”. Then, the last word of the 2nd line is “then” and the last word of the 4th line is “den”. Both words have the same sound. So we will mark it ” b”. Again then, the last words of the 5th, 6th, and 7th lines are “bee”,” see” and “thee”. The last three words of these 3 lines have the same sound. So we can mark it ” c”. Like the first stanza, the remaining two stanza lines have the same patterned rhyme scheme.
After figuring out the rhyme scheme of the last syllable of each line of this poem, each seven-line stanza is rhymed AB AB CCC. And All stanza lines follow the same pattern.
Tone
The tone is a musical or vocal sound with reference to its pitch, quality, and strength. In “The Good Morrow” a happy tone runs through different phases.
The first stanza, suggests a surprised tone. We understand that in this stanza the speaker is happy to discover that he and his beloved are in love.
In the second stanza, the tone is confident. The speaker is so happy that says, “late we possess one world, is hath one and is one”.
In the last stanza, the tone is again happy. The speaker very confidently declares that they have souls’ union and their love is immortal. Thus, the happy tone passes through surprise then confidence, and last saturation.
Structure
The Good-Morrow consists of three stanzas. Each stanza has seven lines. The first six lines of each stanza are in iambic pentameter. The seventh line of each stanza is in an iambic hexameter. In other words, each of the first six lines has ten syllables that are alternately accented and each of the seventh lines has twelve syllables that are also alternately accented.
The stanza pattern used in “The Good-Morrow” is called rhyme royal. (A rhyme royal consists of seven lines which are composed in iambic pentameter). But Donne has used six iambic pentameter lines followed by an iambic hexameter line. Further, instead of rhyme scheme ababbcc he has used ababccc. It is evident that Donne ignored the Elizabethan structure of rhyme royal and innovated his own structure.
Theme
The theme is the central idea in a piece of writing. The whole body explains the theme.
In “The Good Morrow” the theme of love has been developed from surprise to confidence and then to immortality in the tradition of metaphysical poetry.
In the first stanza, the poet is surprised by their love. He compares their love with many things. It is the first period of their development of love.
In the second stanza, turns the surprise into confidence. It suggests that the lovers’ passion for love is saturated.
In the last stanza, the lover admits that they are separate individuals but he emphasizes the union of their souls and he confidently demands, will continue even after death. Thus, the love changes into spiritual love and becomes eternal.
Authors Position
When an author writes to persuade, he/she will have his/her own position on the subject. The author’s position is an author’s opinion about the subject. It may be subjective or objective.
Subjective means where the writer can use his/her own feelings, emotion, and own choice.
Objective means where the writer can’t use his/her own feelings, emotions, and own choice.
“The Good Morrow” is a subjective poem because the poet adds his feelings, loves, and emotions to his beloved in this poem.