John Donne

by John Donne

  Text notes: 12 implies 1635] employs 1633; 61 courts ms] court 1633; 68 ask ms] lack 1633; 72 but ms] omitted 1633; 76 th’extremities ms] extremities 1633; 80 erst 1635] omitted 1633

  Upon Mr Thomas Coryat’s Crudities

  title Crudities: Collection of worldly tales and adventures, published in 1611, by the eccentric and often satirized traveller Thomas Coryat with a large collection of prefatory verses, including these by Donne.

  2. leavened: Puffed up, inflated.

  sesqui-superlative: A superlative and a half.

  6. cellar-gulf: The Great Tun of Heidelberg, estimated by Coryat to hold 28,000 gallons of wine.

  7. Heidelberg: University town in Germany known for homosexuality among students.

  12. head or foot: Beginning or end of page.

  14. half make man: That is, the book only makes one laugh.

  19. prosperous: Large.

  wen: A swelling or tumour.

  22. Munster: Sebastian Münster (1489–1522), author of the Cosmography of the Universe.

  Gesner: Konrad von Gesner (1516–65), who compiled the Bibliotheca Universalis (Universal Library).

  23. Gallo-Belgicus: Representative of yellow journalism.

  24. gazetteer: A journalist who writes in a gazette.

  26. Will Conqueror: William the Conqueror, crowned king of England in 1066.

  Prester Jack: A legendary medieval priest of great wealth and power.

  33. leaves: A leaf is a sheet of paper, two pages.

  36. wares: The items the book’s pages will wrap.

  39. tomes: Books, volumes.

  50. pandect: A comprehensive treatise or body of laws.

  56. portescues: Portuguese coins.

  board: Ship.

  59. carouse up thee: Drink deeply to your health.

  fit: Limit, in accordance with one’s capacity to drink.

  62. stop: Fill.

  67. may paste strings: Be pasted over the strings used to bind a book.

  71. Sybil’s: The book of the Cumaean Sibyl, a prophetess who attended the Apollonian oracle at Cumae in Italy.

  74. healths: Toasts to Coryat.

  In eundem Macaronicon

  title Macaronic: A jumble.

  Text notes: Copy-text, Coryat 1611; title 1649] Incipit Ioannes Donne 1611; 19 sometimes 1649] sometime Coryat; 39 tomes Coryat] Tons 1649–54, Tuns 1669

  Incipit Ioannes Dones

  title Dones: The spelling is probably a pun on dunce. Donne’s authorship, though questioned by a number of modern editors, has recently been defended by Brandon S. Centerwall.

  2. gravell: Waterfowl.

  Text note: Copy-text, Coryat 1611

  Metempsychosis

  title Metempsychosis: Or the transmigration of the soul, an ancient Greek theory, often attributed to Pythagoras, which described the soul’s journey through the bodies of plants, animals and humans, inhabiting each body until it dies. This is an introduction to one of Donne’s longest poems, ‘Progress of the Soul’, which many scholars argue is a mock-epic, its incompleteness an essential part of Donne’s satire.

  Epistle

  2. colours: Rhetorical figures.

  3. through-light: Transparent; translucent.

  4. stick: Hesitate.

  5. tax: Charge, accuse.

  8. sine talione: (Latin) ‘without retaliation’.

  10. reprehender: Reprover, rebuker.

  10. Trent Council: Ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church, which declared in 1546 that no religious books could be published without the author’s name, and which in 1562 prohibited the publication of books deemed contrary to Roman Catholic teaching.

  21. Pythagorean doctrine: Metempsychosis.

  30. attain dignity: To gain a title or position.

  The Progress of the Soul

  1. I sing … soul: Traditional epic (or mock-epic) opening.

  3. the law: Old Testament.

  7–8. gold Chaldee … iron: The four ages of history – Gold, Silver, Brass and Iron – here aligned with the Four Monarchies: Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome.

  9. Seth’s pillars: The children of Seth, the third son of Adam, inscribed two pillars with their scientific discoveries (especially in astronomy) so that if one were destroyed, the other would remain.

  11–12. eye of heaven … begot: The sun was believed to have created all matter.

  16. Tagus … Danon: Rivers in Spain, Italy, France (the Seine), England and central Europe (the Danube).

  17. western land of mine: West Indies, mined for gold, silver and other precious metals.

  21. Janus: The two-faced Roman god of doors, who could see both before and after, often associated with Noah.

  23. college: A place of knowledge; a prison. See also Introduction, p. xxix.

  24. vivary: A place where animals or aquatic creatures were kept for show or scientific study.

  26. nephews: Descendants.

  41. six lustres: Thirty years, a lustrum being a five-year period.

  42. Except: Unless.

  43. legend: Life story.

  lets: Hindrances.

  55. light, and light: As opposed to ‘dark’ and ‘heavy’.

  57–8. I launch … stayed: Beginning in Eden, Donne’s narrative progresses to the England of his day.

  59. hoised: Raised aloft.

  61. great soul: The soul’s much debated identity has been connected to Queen Elizabeth (1533–1603), her Secretary of State Robert Cecil (1563?–1612) and Donne himself.

  65. crown: High point.

  66. Luther: Martin Luther (1483–1546), who sparked the Protestant Reformation.

  Mahomet: The prophet Muhammad (570–632), who founded Islam.

  70. low but fatal room: The soul’s first habitation, the forbidden fruit on the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden, which Eve ate, bringing death into the world.

  77–8. Calvary … tree: The Tree of Knowledge, believed to have stood on Mount Calvary where Christ was later crucified.

  84–5. that now … offence: For convincing Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, the serpent was condemned to crawl on its belly and eat dust.

  91. slain: Also in a sexual sense.

  97. turning: Returning.

  103. curious: Studious, clever.

  125. old, one and another day: Two days old.

  129. foggy: Marshy, murky.

  130. plant: Mandrake, whose roots resemble the body of a man.

  134. thicker: Denser.

  thronged: Squeezed, crowded.

  142. digest: Divide.

  150. His apples … kill: The fruit of the mandrake was used as an aphrodisiac, while its leaves were used as a narcotic.

  153. colossus: The huge statue of Apollo at Rhodes.

  159. inn: Dwelling-place, habitation.

  163. other purpose: Referring to the mandrake’s narcotic and soporific effects.

  169. Unvirtuous: Lacking in medicinal qualities.

  173. burnt air: Smoke.

  175. tenant: Dwelling-place.

  193. hot cock: The sparrow, thought to be lecherous.

  197. pule: Whine, complain.

  204. jolly: Joyful; over-confident; lustful.

  206. self preserving … forgot: It was commonly believed that sexual intercourse shortened one’s lifespan (cf. l. 220).

  212–13. gummy blood … bird-lime: Sticky sap used to make ‘bird-lime’, which was used to catch small birds.

  217. cock-sparrows: The dung of male sparrows, supposed to be an aphrodisiac.

  221. cole: Cabbage or kale.

  224. leavened: Impregnated.

  241. prison in a prison put: The soul, imprisoned in the body of the fish, which is imprisoned in the swan.

  254. windows: Openings.

  256. curious: Particular, expert.

  266. limbecks: Apparatus used in distilling.

  270. makes a board or two: Swims to and fro.

  274. sea pie: Sea-bird commonly known as the oyster-catcher.

  276.
seely: Foolish; defenceless.

  288. unkind: Unnatural, ungrateful.

  291. self: Same.

  294. Fat gluttony’s best orator: The greedy oyster-catcher disregards the danger of flying out to sea.

  299. calendar: Account, record.

  300. officer: Governmental official who represents gluttony.

  301. embrion: Embryonic.

  304. Morea: The Peloponnese peninsula of Greece.

  307. hopeful promontory’s head: Cape of Good Hope.

  310. Hulling: Drifting without a sail, pushed only by the wind on the hull.

  333. roomful: Capacious, roomy.

  336. crab and goat: The summer and winter solstices, represented by the zodiacal signs Cancer (the Crab) and Capricorn (the Goat).

  345. outstreat: Exude.

  349. projects: Schemes.

  351. thresher: The fox-shark, which uses its long tail to lash enemies.

  358. well: Melt down.

  375. straight cloister: Narrow body.

  389–95. like an … tumbled down: A mouse could supposedly kill an elephant by climbing up its proboscis, or trunk.

  391. gallery: Long colonnade or hallway connecting the rooms of a house.

  398. room: Rank.

  404. Abel: The second son of Adam and Eve, slain by his brother Cain.

  405–6. Who in … type: Abel, like Jesus, martyred while tending his flock.

  429. quick: Living.

  434–5. This wolf … dead: The wolf, whose soul has passed to his offspring, fathers himself.

  437. schoolmen: Medieval theologians.

  439. Moaba: One of the many children of Adam and Eve not mentioned in the Bible. Their daughters Siphatecia and Themech and son Tethelemite appear later in the poem.

  451. toyful: Amorously playful and sportive.

  466. hoiting gambols: Noisy, mirthful dancing.

  471. proved: Experienced.

  473. through vain: Thoroughly vain and foolish.

  481. silly: Simple; inexperienced; innocent.

  489. prevented: Forestalled.

  492. She comes … gone in: The soul is reborn from Siphatecia, whose body the ape would have violated.

  494. chimiques’ equal fires: Alchemists used even or uniform fires in their attempts to create the elixir of life.

  505. attend: Await.

  507. knew: Was acquainted with, experienced.

  508. Rapine: Plunder, pillage, rape.

  enow: Enough.

  516. cursed Cain’s race: After Cain killed his brother Abel, God’s curse prevented the lands he farmed from yielding crops. Nevertheless, Cain’s descendants achieved cultural prominence.

  517. Seth: Was born to replace Abel.

  astronomy: Like everything else, astronomy is neither wholly good nor wholly evil: though it benefits science, it also attempts to elucidate the inner workings of heaven, a violation of God’s authority.

  520. opinion: Moral or political judgement; report, rumour; disputable judgement or belief.

  Text notes: 7 gold 1633] cold 1635; 54 shall 1633] hold 1635–69; 83 enlive ms] omitted 1633; 94 corrupt ms] corrupts 1633; 94 rivulets 1635] omitted 1633; 99 bear 1635] here 1633; 130 anew ms] a new 1633; 137 and so fill up 1635–69] and so fill’d 1633, have so fill’d ms; 150 kindle 1635–69] kind 1633; 180 enclosed 1635–69] unclothed 1633; 185 a new downy 1635–69 and ms] downy a new 1633; 195 taste 1633–69] last ms; 214 hid ms] his 1633–69; 220 his race 1635–69] omitted 1633; 225 had 1635] omitted 1633; 251 her ms] the 1633–69; 267 water 1635–69] wether 1633; 296 leagues o’er-past 1633] many leagues ms; 358 well 1635–69] were 1633 and ms; 383 thought … wise 1633 and ms] thought none had, to make him wise 1635–69; 427 ends ms] end 1633; 443 thus 1635–69] omitted 1633; 484 now 1633] nor 1635–69; 485 loth ms] Tooth 1633, wroth 1635–69

  VERSE LETTERS

  The Storm

  In 1597 an English fleet sailed to the Azores to intercept a Spanish fleet carrying silver. Donne, who joined the expedition as a volunteer, records a storm experienced during the voyage.

  Christopher Brooke: Brooke (c. 1570–1628), a friend of Donne’s, was the legal witness to Donne’s clandestine marriage in 1601; his brother performed the ceremony.

  4. Hilliard: Nicholas Hilliard (1547–1619) was the first Englishman to paint miniatures.

  is worth a history: Is worth more than a large historical painting by someone else.

  13. sighed a wind: Winds were understood to be the earth’s exhalations.

  14. middle marble room: The ‘middle air’ was believed to be the source of storms.

  18. lie but for fees: Remain in prison because they lack funds to bribe the jailer.

  22. Sara’her swelling: Sarah, the wife of the Hebrew patriarch Abraham, was overjoyed when, in her old age, she became pregnant with their first child, Isaac (Genesis 17:15–21, 21:1–3).

  32. anon: Instantly.

  33. Jonah: God sent a tempest to punish Jonah for disobedience. When his shipmates learned that he was responsible for their suffering, they threw him overboard at his instruction (Jonah 1:4–16).

  48. last day: Judgement Day.

  54. waist: The middle part of the upper deck of a ship.

  55. tacklings: Ship’s rigging.

  59. ordnance: Instruments of war, artillery.

  66. the’Bermudas: Widely known as a tempestuous area.

  67. light’s elder brother: Darkness existed before God created light (Genesis 1:2–4).

  70. forms: Ideal things of beauty.

  72. Fiat: (Latin) Fiat lux, ‘Let there be light’ (Genesis 1:3).

  74. I wish not thee: I don’t wish for your presence here.

  Text notes: Some manuscripts and later editions use the title ‘To Mr Christopher Brooke from the Island voyage with the Earl of Essex. The Storm’. 11 soothsay 1649] southsay 1633; 21 swelled ms] swole 1633; 47 graves ms] grave 1633; 50 As 1635] Like 1633; 57 tattered ms] tottered 1633; 66 the’Bermudas 1635] and the’Bermuda 1633; 67 elder ms] eldest 1633; 68 Claims ms] Claimed 1633

  The Calm

  Donne wrote this poem, along with ‘The Storm’, during his voyage to the Azores in 1597.

  2. ’suage: Assuage.

  3–4. fable … block … stork: In Aesop’s fable a population of frogs petitioned Jove for a king. He first sent a log, but they were dissatisfied and demanded a king that would rule with authority. In reply Jove sent a stork, which ate all the frogs.

  12. lead: Used in the roofing of churches.

  14. courts removing: Leaving the palace.

  15. fighting place: The platform where rigging for the upper mast was placed.

  16. tackling: Ship’s rigging.

  frippery: Old clothes; tawdry finery; a trifle.

  17. No use of lanterns: Lanterns, hung from the mast, allowed ships in a fleet to keep each other in view.

  19. Earth’s hollownesses … lungs are: Wind was believed to be the exhalation of the earth.

  20. th’upper vault of air: The upper layer of air, believed to be completely calm.

  21. lost friends: Donne’s ship became separated from the main fleet early in the voyage.

  23. calenture: A disease, affecting sailors in the tropics, which caused delirious sailors to leap into the sea.

  26. sacrifice: Burnt offering.

  28. walkers in hot ovens: King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had three Jews cast into a furnace for refusing to worship his golden idol. God enabled them to walk out unharmed (Daniel 3:12–28).

  33. Bajazet: Beyazid I (1347–1403), Turkish monarch, who was captured and imprisoned in a cage by his rival, Tamerlane (1336–1405).

  36. ants … invade: The snake of the Roman Emperor Tiberius (42 BC–AD 37) was eaten by ants, a classic illustration of strength in numbers.

  37. crawling … chips: Either a reference to the many insects that invade different parts of a ship or a description of how the boat is slowly moved by oars rather than wind.

  45–6. Stag … dies: A deer, which flies from death,
is rewarded with life, whereas a dog, which flies towards death, is either rewarded with its prey or dies in the process.

  Text notes: 37 jails ed.] goals 1633; 38 pinnaces ms] venices 1633

  To Mr Henry Wotton (‘Here’s no more news than virtue’)

  title Henry Wotton: Wotton (1568–1639) was a fellow student of Donne’s at Hart Hall, Oxford, and a member of the Cadiz and Azores expeditions of 1596–7; he became a respected lawyer, courtier and ambassador to Venice. Wotton served Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, who, at the time this exchange between Wotton and Donne probably began in 1598, was out of favour with Queen Elizabeth.

  2. Calis: Cadiz, a reference to the 1596 military expedition.

  St Michael’s: The Azores, the destination of Essex’s expedition of 1597.

  4. stomachs: Appetite.

  6. but: Except.

  11. commissary: Deputy.

  12. marshal: Arrange or draw up for fighting.

  state: Rank or status; moral, spiritual or physical condition.

  13. seely: Innocent, pitiable, frail.

  14. neat: Pure.

  15. Like … hosts: The Spanish conquistadors were notorious for mistreating natives.

  22. antics: Performers playing comical grotesque roles.

  23. deepest: Most solemn, weighty; most heinous; most influential; most sly or crafty.

  projects: Plans, ideas, schemes.

  egregious: Prominent; remarkably good or bad.

  gests: Exploits; stages on a journey, especially a royal progress through the countryside.

  27. At Court: Written while at court.

  From Court: Away from the court.

  Text note: title Mr ms] Sir 1633

  To Mr Henry Wotton (‘Sir, more than kisses’)

  This verse letter is Donne’s reply to Wotton’s response to ‘Here’s no more news’.

  1. more … souls: In The Book of The Courtier (1528, London: Penguin, 1967, p. 336), Baldassare Castiglione (1478–1529) asserts that, when lovers kiss, ‘this bond opens the way for their souls which … each pour themselves into the other’s body in turn and so mingle that each of them possesses two souls’.

  4. ideate: Imagine, conceive an idea.

  6. bottle: Bundle.

  lock: Handful, armful or bundle.

  8. remoras: Sucking fish believed to have the power of staying the course of any ship to which they attached themselves.